Sustentabilidade na prática: como a Loved Before está a impedir que os peluches acabem em aterros sanitários

Cerca de 80 % dos peluches e outros brinquedos em todo o mundo acabam por ser deitados fora. E, de acordo com um estudo de 2022, representam 6 % do plástico nos aterros sanitários a nível mundial.

Isto deve-se ao facto de os peluches apresentarem os mesmos problemas de resíduos que grande parte do vestuário moderno. Os materiais sintéticos, como o poliéster, são o principal componente da maioria dos peluches, sendo difíceis de reciclar e demorando centenas de anos a decompor-se nos aterros sanitários. E, tal como na moda, a revenda é uma alternativa mais sustentável — como comprova a história de sucesso da Loved Before.

Amado antes, amado por mais tempo Loved Before was created specifically to keep cuddly toys out of landfill and in circulation for longer. Founded by Charlotte Liebling in 2019, Loved Before was born out of Liebling's time volunteering at a charity shop. She saw large numbers of stuffed toys being donated but many ended up being thrown away rather than sold. Loved Before offers a different path. It is a 'sustainable soft toy adoption agency', taking in unwanted plushies, deep cleaning and refreshing them, and then re-selling them via its website.

Last year, Liebling reported that Loved Before had collected more than 60,000 cuddly toys that may otherwise have been thrown away.The toys are donated directly by consumers, who send them to Loved Before's offices, and through a number of London charity shops. According to Liebling, a massive 95% of donated soft toys can be refreshed and rehomed - even if they are old or worn. The small percentage that can't be sold are recycled.

Compras motivadas por fatores emocionais

Cuddly toys aren't necessary purchases. Buying one isn't driven by logic; it's an emotional purchase. We buy them for comfort, for joy, for play.

O sucesso dos filmes «Toy Story» demonstra na perfeição as emoções complexas que estão associadas aos brinquedos. Podem ser inanimados, mas, mesmo assim, antropomorfizamo-los; atribuímos-lhes sentimentos e emoções. A «Loved Before» explora tudo isto de forma brilhante. Cada peluche que a empresa renova e coloca à venda recebe um nome e vem acompanhado de uma pequena descrição sobre a sua personalidade. Isto transforma-os de meros objetos em algo com que os potenciais compradores se podem identificar a nível emocional.

Donors are asked to write these bios, which increases the power of them. If the donor doesn't provide a background, Loved Before gives the soft toy to someone to look after for a couple of weeks who then writes a background for them. Those same emotions are at play when it comes to donations. Multiple people who have sent in their old cuddly toys to Loved Before have expressed their happiness at having a way to extend their soft toys' lives - so to speak.'

Many have noted that they had been holding onto old toys because they didn't want them to end up in the bin. This is especially true in the case of older or well-loved toys which may not be accepted through existing resale options, such as charity shops.' Loved Before is able to successfully refresh and sell soft toys with history by embracing that history.

Buying a pre-loved toy from Loved Before isn't about getting something pristine. Each toy is given a condition rating - based on the amount of wear it has - and any warnings regarding CE or UKCA labelling. 'Imperfections' are retained - although every toy is safe, sanitised and clean - because they show the toy's previous life. The brand believes that the toys have more value because of the memories already attached to them.

In many ways, Loved Before evokes a lot of the same feelings that consumers have around animals and their pets. The model is as much about how the cuddly toys enhance the customers' lives as about the product itself. Given that, generally speaking, Loved Before cuddly toys cost '10 to '30, this emotional component is vital in getting customers to consider secondhand over similarly - or cheaper - priced new products.

O sucesso através de estratégias consolidadas

Loved Before's success is also down to its use of well-established retail strategies. It adds new toys to its website in 'drops' every Monday, rather than as they come in. This creates a sense of occasion and anticipation for consumers. It also helps to make the brand more visible by making product additions into an event.

Loved Before also uses social media effectively to highlight its cuddly toys. This includes personality-driven posts showcasing the newest additions to the website, images of toys taking part in everyday tasks like cooking, or toys getting refreshed in the 'spa'. At every possible moment, Loved Before centres the toys themselves, building the relationship between viewers and the plushies. The brand has 167,000 followers on Instagram and 176,000 on TikTok with hundreds of positive comments.

Community is another key element. Much like a pet adoption agency, Loved Before leaves the profiles of 'adopted' soft toys on its website, so that their former owners can see what happened to them. It also hosts a forum on its website where adopters can post pictures and updates about their pre-owned purchase.' Again, this taps into those vital emotional elements that drive consumers to want to keep these toys out of landfill.

Last year, Loved Before's pre-loved soft toys made their way into physical retail with dedicated stands in Selfridges' London flagship, Birmingham and Manchester stores. The company's secondhand toys are also sold in a number of independent retailers. Loved Before has also recently launched in the US after massive consumer demand, starting with an online partnership with Bloomingdale's.

Colocar uma opção de artigos em segunda mão ao lado de peluches novos é um grande passo em frente para mudar a mentalidade dos consumidores e levar os compradores a considerar a compra de artigos usados — não como complemento à compra de artigos novos, mas sim em vez destes. A presença numa grande cadeia de retalho como a Selfridges ajuda a legitimar o conceito e a aumentar a visibilidade.

Os elementos certos

It only takes a quick glance at the comments on Loved Before's social media posts to understand that soft toys have incredible emotional power over people. So many consumers engage with the company's posts to express sadness for the toys looking for new homes and their love for their own soft toys - current and past.

This point of connection is a vital component in making Loved Before's resale model work ' in making the toys feel valuable and desirable. But there is another thing that the soft toy industry may have going for it when it comes to resale that fashion increasingly doesn't. And that's durability.'Safety standards, such as the CE or UKCA mark, require toys to have strength and stability. Those traits are the same ones that arguably mean that soft toys are excellent candidates for the circular economy as they can withstand many years of adventures.

And that's exactly what Loved Before is aiming for.