Toys Reimagined: How Kidults as a New Target Group and Sustainable Plastics Are Changing the Market

The global toy market is undergoing change. While classic children's products continue to be in demand, new target groups such as kidults – adults who use toys as lifestyle, design or relaxation products – are becoming more prominent. This is changing not only marketing and design, but also requirements for material selection, safety and production.

The growing importance of adult target groups is significantly changing the requirements for toys. Products with high material quality, well-thought-out design and durable construction are in demand. For manufacturers, this means focusing on materials that reliably combine haptics, stability and design freedom – while also meeting regulatory and sustainability requirements.

Unlike in the traditional toy market, price plays a lesser role in many kidult products than design, brand loyalty and material appeal. Surface quality, colour brilliance, scratch resistance and weight are becoming distinguishing features.

For manufacturers, this means:

Material quality is becoming a strategic brand factor. Those who use durable polymers and focus on high-quality workmanship can clearly position themselves in the growing kidult segment.

At the same time, consumer expectations for sustainable toys are rising. Products that are safe and as recyclable as possible are in demand. Aspects such as reparability, freedom from harmful substances and transparent material concepts are gaining in importance.

Sustainability is evolving from an image issue to a purchasing criterion – both in the traditional children's segment and among design-conscious adults. Retailers and brands are increasingly demanding transparent material strategies.

At the same time, conflicting goals are emerging:

• Recycled materials can affect colour consistency and surface quality.
• Monomaterial design improves recyclability but limits design options.
• Repairability increases material and construction costs.

For product development, this means:

Sustainability must be taken into account early on in the concept phase. Changing materials at a later stage is technically and economically costly. Integrating design for recycling from the outset reduces long-term adaptation costs and strengthens the future viability of the portfolio.

Material innovations make it possible to combine different requirements. Bio-based plastics, quality-assured recyclates and design-for-recycling approaches contribute to making toys more resource-efficient. At the same time, they must meet high safety standards and be efficient to process.

This makes material design a strategic decision – not just a technical one.

Key questions for manufacturers include:

• Bio-based material or mechanical recyclate?
• Monomaterial for better recyclability or multimaterial for greater design freedom?
• Additives to extend service life or reduce material diversity?

The decision is less about individual measures and more about the system perspective: material selection, design, processing and subsequent recycling must be considered together – along the entire networked value chain.

The transformation in the toy market opens up new opportunities for differentiation. Strategies that clearly combine target group, design and material concept are particularly successful.

Possible positioning approaches:

1. Premium & durable (kidults): High-quality materials, robust construction, long product cycles.
2. Recyclable & transparent: use of recycled materials, clear material labelling, design for recycling.
3. Modular & repairable: interchangeable components, reduced variety of materials.
4. Resource-efficient production: energy-efficient machines & systems, optimised processing.

The plastics and rubber industry provides the technological basis for this – from innovative polymers and additives to automated, sustainable production processes.