“Children do not play to learn, children learn because they play.”
Peter Handstein – Founder & CEO of Hape Holding AG
Love Play Learn
Our guiding principle is: “Love Play Learn.” We at Hape live by the motto: “Love Play Learn”. Here the word “love” refers to the love shared between children and their parents, “play ” represents the experience of success and failure, while learning is the natural result of play. Every child wants to play. It’s a basic requirement regardless of their culture or heritage. Play supports healthy development and promotes a deeper understanding of everyday things and the world around us.
Our colleagues and partners, retailers and vendors as well as our customers: They all play a role in our “Love Play Learn” mission, and make Hape what it is today: a company with stable roots, strong partners and social responsibility. In taking action towards a better future, we can create a world that children will want to grow up in and which fosters their optimal development.
Founded: 1986
Company affiliation: Hape Group
Target Group: Parents, infants, babies and toddlers
Wooden toys, toys made from natural materials
Puzzles
Games, books, learning & experimenting
Outdoor items, sand equipment & toys for active play
Vehicles
Technical toys, educational toys & action toys
Baby and toddler items
School supplies, stationary & creative design
Wooden toys, toys made from natural materials
Puzzles
Games, books, learning & experimenting
Outdoor items, sand equipment & toys for active play
Vehicles
Technical toys, educational toys & action toys
Baby and toddler items
School supplies, stationary & creative design
Brand philosophy
Hape believes that the instinct to play is present in every child’s DNA. We simply need to bring it out and carefully nurture its development. Our toys were created to encourage play and learning and for discovering the world where we live. By taking responsibility for our actions, we aim to leave the world a better place than we found it.
With toys made from different materials, we increase the quality of children’s play and place emotions at centre stage during playtime.
Awakening curiosity, sparking imagination, establishing experiences: this is how our vision of edutainment – playing and learning at the same time – is put into practice. Our toys promote:
- Imagination & creativity
- Social skills
- Self-discovery
- Problem-solving
- Physical dexterity
- Fine motor skills
Environmentally-friendly product development right from the start
Even the planning of Hape toys is designed to ensure the individual products are produced in the most environmentally-friendly way possible. Alongside the use of innovative, sustainable and renewable materials for our products, sustainability and environmentally-friendly production have been a primary focus for us since the very beginning.
We are taking the following actions to make a small positive contribution for the future of the coming generations:
- Close cooperation between production and design to ensure the maximum utilisation of resources and minimal excess residual material
- Reuse and repurposing or reprocessing of residual material for other products
- Integration of interactive functions and unlimited possibilities for variations within a product
- As little packaging material as possible and the most sustainable possible materials
- Ecologically optimised production standards
- Investment in research and the advancement of new, natural raw materials as sustainable alternatives to commonly used materials
- A holistic understanding of environmentalism: from product development to sustainable management
Sustainability as a fundamental principle from the very beginning
Hape is an innovative, world-leading educational toy brand that is always exploring new paths with the goal of further developing children’s spirit of discovery through play and preparing children for the world they are growing up in. This includes sharing our environmental awareness with children from a young age. That’s why we’re always on the search for new alternative materials (e.g. in order to avoid producing hazardous waste such as rechargeable batteries) that won’t sacrifice on fun when it comes to playtime. Solar-powered toys, for example, are a good place to start, but using a wide range of renewable or sustainable raw materials is particularly important:
Bamboo toy line
In 2004, Hape hosted the first UNESCO bamboo workshop in China. Hape built a bamboo factory in Ningbo in the South East of China, where bamboo plants grow particularly well, in order to develop bamboo toys. The Hape bamboo factory originated in an area of bamboo forest 16 hectares in size in a small village. Another 50 hectares were then leased a year later in order to expand the bamboo product line. Since then, designers and students of world-renowned design colleges have regularly attended the site as guests, taking part in the research and development work for the range of bamboo toys from Hape.
Rice as a sustainable toy for the tiniest tots
For our rice toys, we use environmentally-friendly materials containing Japanese rice – which is well-known for its long tradition of use and high standard of quality. As a material, it feels wonderfully soft and has a subtle, pleasant scent. Furthermore, it is completely environmentally and child friendly. Our rice toys were inspired by the concept of early childhood education developed by Friedrich Fröbel and Maria Montessori. Hape is convinced that small children can learn so much through play and discovery, and that fun and play can support and promote toddlers’ sensory perception.
Sustainability certification
All Hape products fulfil and often exceed the strictest international quality and safety standards: AS/NZS ISO8124, GB 6675, ASTM F963, EN71 and many more.
- AS/NZS ISO 8124: International safety requirements for toys
- GB 6675: Safety requirements for the majority of toys sold in China
- ASTM F963: American safety standard for toys
- EN71: European standard for toy safety
Hape has obtained all of the relevant certifications for the production of toys and takes the strict compliance with the respective standards and regulations very seriously. The certifications comprise:
- ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001
- ITEP (ICTI Ethical Toy Program)
- GSV (Global Security Verification)
- Higg Facility Environmental Module
- FSCTM (Forest Stewardship CouncilTM)
FSCTM is a global certification for sustainable forest management which strengthens and improves the sustainable management of forests. The FSCTM logo guarantees compliance with environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management worldwide.
Our aim: Making a conscious commitment to sustainability and social responsibility
We insist upon the best-possible quality and sustainable production for our toys. By taking responsibility for our actions, we aim to leave the world a better place than we found it. At our production facilities, we adhere to a “product life cycle” approach – which involves ensuring the supply chain is sustainable. This is because protecting the environment has always been and remains a primary focus for us. Our commitment to social responsibility ranges from a local to a global level with the worldwide charitable project “We Care We Share”. We donated toys to children in need: they rewarded us with a smile! Read more about this project here.
Our commitment to social responsibility is distinguished by its consistency and in the fact that we don’t just help at one location but work within the framework of a broad-based, worldwide charitable programme. We support families and children with donations of over 1 million pounds towards a range of projects in the most diverse fields as well as our own organisations. We have already built three schools and continue to help integrate these schools into the local community. Furthermore, we also work with a range of universities worldwide and offer over 20 scholarships in this field every year.
Another recent project is our “We Care We Share” initiative. Here we have helped over 10,000 children in need with products and financial donations. With regards to the pandemic, too, we have provided masks and funding for needy children and disease control workers. Contributing towards striving for a better world for today’s children and for future generations is a matter that is close to our hearts.
Production
“Many of our production facilities worldwide are under German management, which is responsible for quality assurance and working conditions in particular. In our Code of Conduct, we have also defined standards and values which apply and must be adhered to at all production locations that are managed under Hape Holding.” – Peter Handstein
History
Want to find out more about our family-owned company? You’ll find all of the facts and figures surrounding Hape Holding here.
