“A world of creativity that doesn’t cost the earth,” is Playpress’ mantra, which encapsulates both the toy company’s objectives to be sustainable and affordable to the masses. With POC Member, Playpress, in the midst of a number of exciting launches, I caught up with its business brains, Melvin Wright.

Utilising the joy of construction, the convenience of flat packing, and some special licensors – from the Natural History Museum, RNLI, Moomins, Gruffalo and Friends, and Shaun the Sheep – Playpress is a family-run business that is continuing to grow and offer consumers an alternative to the myriad plastic toys on their shop shelves, with its FSC Playboard parts that slot together to create a fun-filled scene.

For Summer 2025, Playpress has launched three new sets: two with English Heritage, comprising of a Legends Castle befit with its very own dragon, and Stonehenge, including a tour bus and of course a couple of roaming sheep; the other is with Shakespeare’s Globe, a delightful miniature of the famous theatre, including its very own Bard and a selection of his board-treading characters.

While many of these licensors are UK-based, Playpress very much operates internationally, with Turkish, Japanese, and an Australian and New Zealand-based wholesaler which sells Playpress toys down under, as well as commissioning a set each of Australian and Kiwi animals. Playpress’ Moomin range is popular in the Scandinavian regions, and the company has recently created tiny characters sporting different occupations to go inside the chocolate eggs of Austrian company, Toddidoo.

Meanwhile, sustainability has been very central to Playpress since the beginning: “The environment is at the heart of everything we do, and is our core reason for existing,” reads its website. Melvin added: “We feel there is no need not to be [sustainable]. It is easier for us, as this is how we started. However, we are also trying to build a product that delivers great playability to the children, and to ensure it is robust and able to be used again and again.”

All of Playpress’ products are plastic-free and use FSC certified material, with entirely water-based and vegan inks, glues and varnishes. They are also manufactured locally in the UK to minimise air miles. Its sustainability priorities also factor into its decision-making for the licensors it works with, prioritising those that align with its values rather than trying to make the sets as cheaply as feasibly possible.

With more set launches planned for the remaining half of the year, we look forward to seeing what Playpress creates next, as it continues to prove that more sustainable, plastic-free toys are possible, while still being durable, affordable, and packing in plenty of fun.