Sex toy brands are reinventing themselves to meet environmental challenges by using greener, recyclable and sometimes even biodegradable materials in their products.
Like many sectors, including fashion and cosmetics, the sex toy industry is rethinking its model to reduce its impact on the environment. At present, erotic toys are almost exclusively made from plastic, silicone or even phthalates; polluting materials and chemical compounds that can also be sources of allergies and other irritations. And then there are the batteries that need replacing regularly.
These factors have forced specialised brands to reinvent themselves and unveil greener alternatives. Not content with offering safer devices since last autumn thanks to the introduction of the first international standard dedicated to sex toys (ISO 3533), manufacturers are also betting on materials that are much more respectful of the planet.
Wood, for example, is an ideal alternative when combining pleasure and durability. Thierry, a carpenter from the Vosges, has been fashioning sex toys "from the Vosges forests" since 2010.
The idea may seem crazy, but it is now spreading around the world. At Bobtoys, the name of the shop in which these products are found, each object is designed from local wood species (ash or beech) by hand, like erotic sculptures. No chemicals, no plastic and even fewer batteries: these sex toys make it possible to reach seventh heaven without harming the planet and at more than reasonable prices.
And the pickiest customer can even order a tailor-made toy.
At Idée du Désir, they also focus on natural pleasure with wooden sex toys made in France. Founded in 2014, the brand is supported by a cabinetmaker who offers a whole range of natural erotic accessories guaranteed without phthalates, nanoparticles or other endocrine disruptors. Designed in a workshop nestled in Angoulême, each adult toy has been made of woods such as cherry, walnut, maple and olive tree. The range of erotic toys come with an affordable price, at around €50, and the assurance of longevity.
Sex toy brands and manufacturers have also turned to other alternatives that are more respectful of the planet. Bioplastic, even if some do not see it as such a green material, appears to be the most popular solution.
Womanizer is one of the brands that have made headlines in recent months with the launch last year of its very first eco-friendly sex toy, Premium Eco. This forced-air clitoral stimulator was designed from biodegradable Biolene, a material developed by the brand, which is made from, among other things, corn starch. The intimate accessory is also easily recyclable since it can be completely disassembled.
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Other brands are now betting on bioplastic, such as Blush Novelties, which offers its Gaia sex toy in an ecological version thanks to Biofeel, a starch bioplastic that is both recyclable and biodegradable, or Natural Pleasure, which offers a vibrator made of recycled bio-based plastics, except for the motor which is housed in cardboard and paper packaging that is also recyclable.
For its part, Ohhcean has worked on a whole range of sex toys made from plastic collected from the oceans. In partnership with Tide Ocean, a company specialising in upcycling, the brand already offers three intimate vibrating accessories that allow you to enjoy yourself without polluting the planet. Initiatives that prove that sexual pleasure is perfectly compatible with respect for the environment.
