Dublin mum to showcase eco-friendly, plastic-free toy business at Gifted

A Dublin mum is to host Ireland's first plastic-free store at Gifted, the contemporary craft and design fair heading to the RDS next month.

Sharon Keilthy from Watermill Road set up her eco-friendly toy business Jiminy.ie Eco Toys because she wanted to make it easier for people to do the right thing. A keen environmentalist and mum of five-year-old Ava, Sharon found herself walking out of toy shops because she couldn’t bring herself to buy anything in them. “Our model for making toys is completely broken,” Sharon said. “Ninety per cent of toys are made from new plastic and 80% of them are made in China. It would take 1.2 billion trees to cover the carbon emissions of making and transporting these toys to our shores.” “Shanghai is 10,000 miles away, we talk about food miles but we also need to think about toy miles,” she continued. [caption id="attachment_366728" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Sharon Keilthy and Ava[/caption]   At Jiminy.ie Sharon and her business partner Sheelin Conlon sell toys and crafts that are made in Europe from bio-plastics (100 per cent plant made), recycled cardboard and safe recycled plastics. The toys also come unpackaged or in plastic-free compostable packaging. Their collection includes board games, flat-packed toys, wooden puzzles, balance boards, 3D colour-ins and lots more. Gifted at the RDS is a celebration of the best in contemporary Irish design and artisan food. It includes more than 500 stands, packed with original gifts. And for those in search of a green Christmas, this year sees Gifted devote two special areas to environmentally friendly products. The Sustainable Pop-Up features 40 of Ireland's finest sustainable living brands and the Sustainable Edit, curated by journalist Jo Linehan, founder of The Futurist podcast, showcases 12 top ethical producers. [caption id="attachment_366729" align="alignnone" width="1756"] Recycled 3-D design-it-yourself Christmas tree (price from €24.99 to €54.99) from Jiminy.ie Eco Toys who will feature at Gifted – The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair in the RDS, from December 4-8.[/caption] “2019 is the year of sustainability at Gifted with thousands of thoughtful and ethical gifts for your loved ones,” said organiser Patrick O’Sullivan. “Many of our exhibitors will have signs at their stands saying ‘ask me my sustainable story’ so shoppers can find out more about the origins of the gifts they are buying.” Traditionally heralding the start of the festive season in Dublin, Gifted also hosts the Spectacular Christmas Food Emporium with over 100 artisan food producers. There will be 10 per cent off everything at Gifted on the opening day, Wednesday, December 4. Gifted Contemporary Craft and Design Fair takes place at the RDS Main Hall from December 4-8 from 10am each day.  Full details and booking can be found at www.giftedfair.ie