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Audit-Ready Carbon Reporting for Toys & Sporting Goods

Track manufacturing emissions from China/Vietnam, plastic material carbon, and shipping logistics for toys, bicycles, and sporting equipment.

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The Industry Hotspot: Asia Manufacturing and Ocean Shipping

50-70% from contract manufacturing

For toys and sporting goods brands, 50-70% of product carbon footprint comes from Asia-based contract manufacturing (injection molding, assembly). Plastic materials account for 20-30% (ABS plastic: 3.2 kgCO2/kg). Ocean freight from China to US/Europe adds 5-10% (0.01 kgCO2/ton-km × 20,000 km = 0.2 kgCO2/kg product). NetNada collects supplier manufacturing data, tracks plastic material carbon, and calculates shipping emissions per container.

SASB Industry Definition

The Toys & Sporting Goods Industry comprises distinct segments that produce leisure products: entities that manufacture toys and games, and entities that manufacture sporting and athletic goods such as bicycles, golf clubs, fitness equipment, and other similar products. Entities in this industry primarily sell their products to consumers through retail stores. The level of manufacturing integration varies among and within segments of the industry; manufacturing is based primarily in Asia, with China accounting for a majority of production.

Industry-Specific Carbon Accounting

No generic solutions. Metrics, data sources, and reporting aligned to Toys & Sporting Goods operations.

Contract Manufacturer Emissions Tracking

Collect factory energy data from China, Vietnam, India suppliers. Calculate kgCO2 per unit manufactured: injection molding energy (0.5 kWh/kg plastic × 0.6 tCO2/MWh China grid = 0.3 kgCO2/kg) + assembly labor + packaging.

Supplier factory emissions

Plastic Material Carbon Intensity

Track plastic types: ABS (3.2 kgCO2/kg), PP (1.7 kgCO2/kg), PE (1.9 kgCO2/kg), Recycled plastic (0.5-1.0 kgCO2/kg). Calculate per-product: Toy action figure 200g ABS = 0.2 kg × 3.2 = 0.64 kgCO2 materials.

Material carbon tracked

Ocean Freight Carbon Calculation

Import container shipment data (origin port, destination, weight). Calculate: Shanghai to Los Angeles 20,000 km × 0.01 kgCO2/ton-km × 15 tonnes per container = 3,000 kgCO2 per container. Allocate to units shipped.

Shipping emissions allocated

Product-Level Carbon Footprint

Aggregate lifecycle emissions: Materials (0.64 kgCO2) + Manufacturing (0.30 kgCO2) + Packaging (0.15 kgCO2) + Shipping (0.10 kgCO2) = 1.19 kgCO2 per action figure. Generate product carbon labels.

kgCO2/unit calculated

SASB CG-TS Metrics Automation

Auto-generate disclosure: % products tested for restricted chemicals, product recalls issued, supply chain labor audit coverage. Footnotes cite CPSC safety standards.

SASB CG-TS compliant

Product Features for Toys & Sporting Goods

Use Supplier Portal to collect manufacturing energy data and labor compliance audits from China, Vietnam, and India contract manufacturers. Learn more →

The Carbon Data Uploader imports container shipping manifests and calculates ocean freight emissions per product unit—no manual route calculations. Learn more →

Related Solutions

Use our Supply Chain Decarbonisation solution to engage contract manufacturers on renewable energy adoption and carbon reduction targets.

View solution

Toys & Sporting Goods Case Studies

How entities in this industry use NetNada to solve carbon accounting challenges.

Toy Brand ($500M revenue, 200 SKUs)

Challenge

Retailer required product carbon footprint labels for all toys. 90% manufactured by 15 contract factories in China. Had zero supplier emissions data.

Solution

Deployed NetNada supplier portal to 15 factories. Collected monthly electricity, natural gas, and production volumes. Calculated kgCO2 per unit manufactured across 200 SKUs.

Result

Achieved 85% supplier data coverage in 6 months. Generated carbon labels showing 0.8-2.5 kgCO2 per toy. Identified 2 high-emission factories, requested solar installation plans.

Bicycle Manufacturer (Premium Segment)

Challenge

Carbon-conscious customers demanded product carbon footprint data. Needed to differentiate aluminum vs carbon fiber vs steel frame emissions.

Solution

Used NetNada material library: Aluminum frame 12 kgCO2/kg × 1.5kg = 18 kgCO2, Carbon fiber 15 kgCO2/kg × 1.2kg = 18 kgCO2, Steel 1.85 kgCO2/kg × 2kg = 3.7 kgCO2. Total bike 25-45 kgCO2 including components.

Result

Published lifecycle carbon: Steel bike 32 kgCO2 (lowest), Aluminum 41 kgCO2, Carbon fiber 48 kgCO2 (highest). Marketed steel bikes as low-carbon option, 8% sales shift.

SASB Disclosure Topics for Toys & Sporting Goods

Material sustainability topics beyond emissions that investors and stakeholders expect disclosed per SASB standards.

Product Safety

governance

Track product recalls and safety incidents. Monitor compliance with CPSC (US), EN 71 (EU), AS/NZS ISO 8124 (Australia) toy safety standards. Report testing procedures and quality control.

Materials Sourcing

environment

Report % of plastic from recycled sources. Track use of phthalates, BPA, and restricted chemicals. Monitor sustainable materials adoption (bamboo, recycled ocean plastic).

Supply Chain Management

social

Track % of manufacturing from China vs nearshore locations. Monitor supplier labor audits and fair wage compliance. Report supply chain emissions data quality.

Product Lifecycle & Packaging

environment

Report packaging materials per product. Track product durability and expected lifespan. Monitor plastic waste from packaging and end-of-life product disposal.

NetNada tracks all SASB material topics, not just emissions. Our platform supports disclosure across environmental, social, governance, and business model topics relevant to your industry.

Toys & Sporting Goods FAQs

Common questions about carbon accounting for this industry

How do you get manufacturing emissions data from contract factories in China?
Three approaches: (1) Request primary data (electricity bills, natural gas, diesel) via supplier portal—compliance depends on leverage. (2) Use factory-specific estimates from audits (kWh per production line, sqm factory size, regional grid factors). (3) Default to China provincial grid averages (0.5-0.8 tCO2/MWh) × estimated kWh per unit. PCAF Data Quality: Score 2 for primary bills, Score 4 for estimates.
What's the carbon footprint difference between virgin and recycled plastic in toys?
Virgin ABS plastic: 3.2 kgCO2/kg. Recycled ABS: 0.8-1.2 kgCO2/kg (60-75% reduction). Recycled PET: 0.5-0.7 kgCO2/kg vs virgin 2.2 kgCO2/kg. Challenge: recycled plastic often doesn't meet toy safety color/strength requirements. Some brands use ocean-recycled plastic (marketing benefit) but similar carbon footprint to standard recycled. Disclose % recycled content and source.
How do you allocate ocean shipping emissions to individual products?
Weight-based allocation: Container total emissions (3,000 kgCO2) ÷ total weight (15,000 kg) = 0.2 kgCO2/kg shipped. Light/bulky products: use volume allocation (m³). Example: 1,000 teddy bears per container = 3 kgCO2 per bear for shipping. Track port-to-port distance × 0.01 kgCO2/ton-km emission factor for container ships.
Should we account for carbon sequestration in wooden toys?
Yes, if using sustainably sourced wood. Wood products sequester ~0.9 tCO2/m³ during tree growth (biogenic carbon). Report separately from fossil CO2: Wooden toy manufacturing fossil emissions +X kgCO2, Biogenic carbon sequestered -Y kgCO2. End-of-life: if landfilled, carbon stored long-term; if incinerated, biogenic CO2 released (carbon neutral on ~100-year cycle). Requires FSC/PEFC certification to claim sustainability.

Track Manufacturing and Supply Chain Emissions for Toys & Sporting Goods

See how toy and sporting goods brands collect supplier factory data, calculate product carbon footprints, and meet retailer labeling requirements.

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