Many of our local customers and those who have visited our site in Devon on holidays won’t realise that we are actually more than a great visitor site. In fact, our Bovey Tracey premises are home to our Head Quarters where we do any number of things – namely the manufacture and distribution of our own range of our products.

Likewise, those who know our products first-and-foremost (we do sell them all over the world after all) may not realise that we open our doors to the public either!

We have always specialised in producing traditional toys and games that are reminiscent of the sorts of toys and games most parents and grandparents would remember having in their childhood, which is a world-away from the digital games that occupy many children’s lives these days.

It is such a joy to see the revival of interest in traditional playthings – partly because of the pure joy that can be obtained from something so simple and partly because of the concern for what so much screen-time is doing to the mind of the next generation. There is no doubt that technology is moving on at a faster pace than ever before and the children of today will be the Engineers, IT Managers and so on of tomorrow, but there is something so lovely to be gained in family time with no digital distractions, or a solo game where actual pieces are moved on actual boards in actual living rooms!

Another reason for the return of popularity of many of the products we make and sell is the very real concern for the world we might be handing to future generations. The environmental impact of the throw-away society we have lived in is ever-more prevalent and so a new generation of responsible parents seek out products which are more environmentally sound. Which opens the door for this new range of products we’ve produced which are FSC Certified. But what does that mean exactly?

FSC Certification is the ‘gold standard’ of sustainably sourced wood and wood products. If you buy an FSC Certified product not only do you know that all or most of that product will be biodegradable and safe for the planet (yay!) but also that it is responsibly sourced and doesn’t contribute to the deforestation of our planet. You know this because to be FSC Certified, the materials used have to have met the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council.

New Sustainably Sourced FSC Certified House of Marbles products for 2021

 

It is an ethos that House of Marbles have been moving towards for some time now, and while these things don’t happen over-night, making progress is a great sign of things to come.

We currently have 8 product lines which carry the symbol (on the packaging), including a Yoyo, Magnetic Fishing Game, Box of Dominoes, Little Wooden Animals (available in Lion, Crocodile, Giraffe & Elephant designs), Acrobat Toys (Ballerina, Policeman, Pirate& Nurse), toy Construction Vehicles & even a Bath Toy (yes, you did read that right – a Wooden BATH TOY! Available in Shark & Whale designs). …Who knows how many more there will be in the future as older lines sell out and make room for more great new lines which meet the same criteria.

In addition to this great new development House of Marbles certainly isn’t resting on its laurels, oh no! We, like many businesses today, have implemented an Environmental Policy & to summarise what this means – almost ALL of our site waste is responsibly disposed of through Devon Contract Waste’s Zero to Landfill Scheme.

Another interesting thing you might like to know is that our visitor site leaflet (along with much of our printed literature) is also made from FSC Certified paper. Essentially, we are a company who are actively choosing to be better for our customers and our planet and long may it continue.

In the meantime you can tell us how much you value these products by putting your money where your mouth is! Afterall, nothing speaks louder than taking action in each and every one of our homes and we hope you will take that action with us for a better future.

Be sure to look out for our ‘sustainably sourced’ branding in future. 

   

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*We’re trying to remove as much single-use plastic in our own products as possible, and there are some parts of the range we’re still working on with our suppliers to enhance. We see our work in this area as a long-term project that we aim to always improve on.