Hit the G(reen)-Spot! – An Eco-Friendly Sex Toy Industry

Do the ins and outs of
recycling still confuse you? Can’t quite imagine a plastic-free
future just yet? As Kermit the Frog says, it’s hard to be green
sometimes. However, with recent technological advances, innovation
and an urgent need to find sustainable solutions to everyday
problems, it’s getting easier and easier for us all to do our
little bit for our environment.

Thankfully the sex toy
industry is keeping up with the times and so eco-friendly toys,
lubricants, and other accessories are now becoming ubiquitous on the
market. As an industry first, Net1on1 has also pledged recently to
first reduce and hopefully, eventually remove all plastic from the
packagings of Loving Joy products by 2020. Our commitment to make Loving Joy’s future plastic-free will hopefully lead the way in
working together with manufacturers, retailers and consumers to
reduce the waste created by the adult industry.

But while we stick our
heads into research and development to work out the ways we can get
rid of that plastic bag and that plastic tray from our
packaging, this guide will give you handy tips, ideas and bestselling
product highlights that you can pass on to your customers about how
to make their sexy escapades as environmentally friendly as possible.

Green
Essentials – Relaxation, Lubrication, Protection

When it comes to
lotions and potions, we are becoming more and more accustomed to
reading small font labels, rapidly sorting through the listed
ingredients and spotting stamps of approval from organisations such
as PETA, the Vegetarian Society and the Organic Soil Association.
Consumers want to make sure that the products they purchase are
ethically produced and traded, cruelty-free and organically and
sustainably sourced, where possible.

Reducing our
environmental impact usually comes with the added benefit of being
nicer to our bodies, too – it turns out, what’s good for the
planet tends to be good for us too! Brands like Earthly Body, Sliquid
and YES
pride themselves in offering intimate products that put the safety
and comfort of their customers first and providing pure, natural
options where the market lacked them before.

Sliquid’s Organics
range infuses already all-natural personal lubricants with organic
aloe Vera and botanical extracts. Infamously received an endorsement
from Gwyneth Paltrow on Goop, this line of high quality, nourishing
products are not just for lube-connoisseurs, though. Did you know
that the carrageenan included in the Sliquid Oceanics lubes has been linked in some studies with the
prevention of HPV, one of the most common STDs? With Sliquid,
your customers can rest assured knowing that their personal paraben-
and glycerin-free satisfaction also came vegan friendly,
cruelty-free, made of organic ingredients and packaged in 100%
recyclable materials. Sliquid
is also fighting the good fight for diversity and inclusivity –
their recent partnership with adult star Buck Angel brought us the
T-lube,
the first daily intimate moisturizer specifically for trans-men. Now
who wouldn’t want to support a brand that deeply cares about its
consumers, the environment and inclusivity too?

ProTip: Latex
condoms can biodegrade on landfills (not in water though), so it’s
always a better idea to dispose of used condoms in a bin rather than
flush them down the toilet. They don’t just wreak havoc in the
sewage system but can also end up seriously harming aquatic life.

Green
Materials – Silicone, Metal, Glass

Again, the interests of
our planet Earth and ourselves seem to align when we look at
eco-friendly sex toy materials. While silicone is a result of a
series of complicated chemical interactions and reactions and
distillation and synthesizing and hydrolysis and polymerization…
the outcome is a durable, eco-friendly, sustainable and flexible
material that just happens to also save about nine times the
greenhouse gases it takes to manufacture. The body-safe and
non-porous nature of silicone also makes it the safest, cleanest,
best material to manufacture sex toys from.

Innovative and
award-winning brands like Svakom
create eco-friendly, 100% silicone products in all shapes and sizes.
Your customers will be able to find a Svakom toy for whatever
pleasure takes their fancy, while also sparing the environment.

Similarly to silicone,
no heavy chemicals or solvents are needed during the production of
glass and metal sex toys either and both are recyclable too. Further
to the environmental benefits, these firm materials provide a
completely different sensation to the more soft and squishy variety
of sex toys allowing for better targeted stimulation and more intense
orgasms.

Metal is an especially
well-suited material for butt plugs as it is easy to clean and keep
hygienic while also provides weighty pressure stimulation that is key
in anal pleasures. And as a bonus, metal plugs tend to have the most
beautiful ornaments in their bases, just check out the Precious Metals range of jeweled metal anal plugs or the Furry Fantasy plugs with exquisite bushy tails for reference.

ProTip: It is
essential that your customers use proper lubrication when exploring
anal pleasures, so grab that up-sell opportunity and make sure they
know about your YES Anal Water-Based Natural Personal Lubricant or Sliquid Naturals Sassy Anal Lubricant before they complete their
purchase.

Green
Electronics – Recharge Everything

While recharging
technology once was a feature exclusive to high end gadgets and
luxury items, nowadays almost everything exists in rechargeable
variety. Recharging – as you guessed – is great for the planet
and happens to be really economical for consumers too.

Batteries contain
substances that are extremely harmful and toxic to the environment so
their use should be avoided where possible. Furthermore, frequently
replacing batteries in toys can be costly and even difficult with
certain obscure battery-types for customers, so recharging technology
can add more convenience into their lives too. USB-recharging is also
travel-friendly as it can be done either with a USB mains adapter or
just by plugging the charging cable into any computer or laptop.

Svakom manufactures
beautiful, 100% silicone, waterproof and rechargeable toys that need
about an hour of charge for 2-3 hours of play – this is one of the
industry’s fastest charging times, especially considering the
infamously powerful vibrations American brand is known for.

ProTip: Of course,
battery power still has its advantages, especially when there’s no
easy access to a mains power source or a computer. If possible, offer
rechargeable batteries to your customers buying items that need
batteries to operate – this will save them money over time and keep
Mother Earth happy too!

Green
Bondage – Fifty Shades of Silicone

BDSM
has long been associated with leather – the aesthetic and smell of
genuine black (or brown, ahem…)
leather restraints, paddles, and other bondage gear attracts many in
the fetish scene with some arguing that real leather can’t be beat
for its elegance, durability and authenticity in a dungeon.

However,
with the steady and seemingly unstoppable rise of the number of
people who follow vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, being able to
offer an alternative that is free of animal-products is a must. And
this is where the previously mentioned miracle material, silicone,
comes into play. With the highly mouldable and flexible qualities of
the material, silicone bondage accessories don’t just look the part,
but can provide completely different sensations than traditional
leather gear.

Luxurious,
tempting (and recently ETO-awardnominated), the Bound to Please silicone bondage range includes a particularly
punishing spanking paddle that is becoming famed in blogger circles for its
relentless and deliciously cruel nature. Thankfully silicone is also
really easy to keep hygienic – one of the biggest advantages over
leather –, so even messier BDSM scenes won’t have to end with hours
of cleaning. Your customers will appreciate the beauty, convenience
and sturdiness of this range, and giving up on leather won’t seem
that hard anymore.

ProTip: Your
eco-conscious customers can combine the silicone bondage range with
our Bound to Please 100% hemp bondage rope. Hemp is one of the most
sustainable plants with a wide range of industrial and commercial
uses that can be grown without the use of pesticides and
little-to-none fertiliser, making it truly environmentally friendly.

Green
Disposal – Recycling & Composting

The
amount of non-recyclable waste that we produce and its eco-friendly
disposal have been one of the most hotly discussed topics of the last
couple of months with more and more retail outlets shuffling to
reduce their plastic waste output. Plastic is an especially big issue
as it can take hundreds of years for it to breakdown naturally on
landfills or worse yet, it can end up in our oceans killing the
nautical wildlife. Recycling is a great option to re-use and
re-purpose items and trash that are no longer functional or needed.

While
most sex toys are already recyclable in the UK via electrical rubbish
bins or electrical recycling centres, many still feels too embarrassed
to use these facilities when it comes to their intimate toys. Blush
Novelties proposes composting as a potential solution as their Gaia
vibrator is the world’s first biodegradable sex toy. Completely
biodegrades in 47-90 days in a composting facility, the Gaia provides
an eco-friendly option to consumers and a great talking point to
sales staff on shop floors. This beautiful and ecological product is
made of BioFeel, a cornstarch-based polymer compound, the production
of which requires less energy and therefore produces fewer greenhouse
gases too. The Gaia truly spares the environment during its entire
lifespan – from production to discard. Now that will surely please
your most eco-conscious customers!

ProTip:
There are some really admirable developments in the industry where
companies offer to be the middleman between the consumer and the
recycling facility – removing the shame that may be associated with
the disposal of such items. Let’s all work together for a greener,
more sustainable future!

These
were our green tips, ideas and suggestions, but now let’s hear about
your favourite eco-friendly sex toys, organic lubes or vegan wrist
restraints?

Have any suggestions about what we should cover next? Struggling with
any product type specifically? Have any feedback on this entry? Let
us know in the comments section below, we would love to hear from
you!