Issue 04/2016

Toys
Toys for a better future
From its early beginnings at the end of 2009, Bioserie
was created with a vision: to bring customers high
quality, well designed durable consumer goods allowing
them to enjoy the benefits of advanced green materials
technology. Cutting-edge, beautiful products with a clean
conscience.
After years of research, during which the brand has
fine tuned a unique mix of fully biobased materials based
on PLA providing exceptionally good results in terms of
heat resistance and durability, and successful releases of
phone accessories products, the brand has embarked on
a journey to bring young parents the future of toys since
2014. What best category to make a point than the start
of it all!
Becoming a mom and dad is often a turning point in
priorities. Consumption criteria, amongst others, are
affected. As parents strive to build the best for their babies,
they naturally question what products are made of. The
majority of them, close or above 80 % depending on the
geography where they live, are ready to go for organic,
green or ethical labels whenever they can afford it, e. g.
in the food and/or hygiene department. When it comes to
durable goods, there is indeed a growing awareness about
the dangers of certain plastic, and a similar readiness to go
for more sustainable products.
Baby toys shelves are crowded with
plastics. They look nice, with lots
of fancy colors and shapes, yet
one cannot but have read at least
one article about the dangers
of certain types of plastics.
The usual suspects and
most regulated are
BPA, Phthalathes and
Styrenes, known for their
endocrine disruption or
antiandrogenic effects.
The problem is, it’s
rather impossible to get
the full scope of oil-based
ingredients tested, and
even if we could do so, the
impact of exposure to this
type of chemicals may not
be immediate. That is, babies
exposed to certain traditional
plastics may not show any symptom
for years, but the consequences of
exposure to these petroleum-based chemicals
may show up when they become teenagers or adults.
And that’s how Kaya Kaplancali, co-founder and COO of
Hong Kong based Bioserie explains the development of
their toy range: “Oil based plastics can contain potentially
hazardous chemicals for human health, as suggested by
numerous respectable studies published within the last
two decades. Our Bioplastic products contain none of
those hazardous petrochemicals. We hope to accelerate
the recognition and adoption of bioplastic products by
addressing the needs of consumers who are sensitive
about the safety and toxicity of the products they buy for
their children. In other words, inherent safety of bioplastics
help us shine so it’s easier to tell our story to consumers
who are not familiar with this new and innovative industry.”
Stephanie Triau, co-founder and CEO of Bioserie added:
“As a parent, it’s very hard to know for sure that a product
won’t have any negative health effects on your baby. The
information on toy packages is either inadequate, too
technical for a normal person to understand or at times
misleading. This problem is eliminated with Bioserie’s
use of plant-based materials that are naturally free of any
harmful substances associated with oil-based plastics.”
Bioserie provides young parents with one of the safest
alternatives for their little ones. Their products are
actually the first ever baby toys to obtain a 100 % biobased
certification from the USDA, which means they have been
tested to contain no fossil carbon (ASTM 6866). That’s a
guarantee for them that their babies won’t lick, bite or
chew anything derived from petroleum.
What’s more, Bioserie’s baby toys are smartly made.
Bioserie’s founders are young parents and have had their
28 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/16] Vol. 11