Reusable packaging for toy brands

Toy brands

Your range is heterogeneous: small items, board games and puzzles are ideal for parcel shipping, while large outdoor play equipment goes beyond the standard cardboard box. For the parcel-suitable part - and that part is large - reusable shipping packaging from hey circle turns your seasonal replenishment into a loop that also carries the Christmas peak.

Box L compared with a single-use cardboard box of the same size containing 80 % recycled material, calculated over 50 cycles. Data source: Ökopol life cycle assessment. The 53 % are an average from real customer calculations.

How the loop works

You pick seasonal stock and repeat orders in the central warehouse and deliver to your own stores or those of retail partners - regularly on the repeat order rhythm and with a pronounced seasonal peak for the Christmas season.

To be clear: two things matter. First, this is not a daily full shuttle service - the benefit comes from frequency on the outbound leg plus the bundled, foldable empty return. Second, reusable packaging covers the parcel-suitable part of your range; for large, bulky outdoor play equipment at the standard parcel limit it is not the right format.

  • Pack & close

    • Place parcel-suitable goods such as model cars, board games and puzzles into the hey circle box in your central warehouse
    • Close the box with a 1-zipper, 2-zipper or lift-off lid - no adhesive tape
    • Dimensionally stable for intact retail packaging: tested with up to 400 kg stacking load and in a drop test from 80 cm

  • Ship

    • Shipping to your own stores or those of retail partners through the normal parcel network, with no bulky goods surcharge
    • Carries the ongoing repeat order rhythm and the seasonal peak for the Christmas season
    • Applies to the parcel-suitable part of the range - large outdoor play equipment goes beyond the standard cardboard box

  • Return

    • Fold the empty boxes flat to save space and send them back to the central warehouse in bundles at low cost
    • Especially after the seasonal peak a large collected quantity builds up quickly - bundled, the return leg pays off, a single empty box does not
    • Back at the warehouse the box can be filled again straight away - for 50 cycles on average

Toy brands & reusables: a dream team

  • Seasonal peak & frequency

    The Christmas season drives your shipping volumes hard, with the repeat order rhythm running in between. A reusable system that scales with the peak saves on every shipment compared with the single-use cardboard box.

  • Protection for your core range

    Model cars, board games and puzzles should arrive undamaged and with intact retail packaging. Dimensionally stable boxes are tested with up to 400 kg stacking load and in a drop test from 80 cm.

  • Packaging costs

    With seasonally high volumes, every single-use cardboard box adds up. In the loop you cut your packaging costs by an average of 53 %.

  • Less waste

    According to the Ökopol life cycle assessment (2023), the hey circle Box L saves 94 % packaging waste and 76 % CO2 over 50 cycles compared with a single-use cardboard box of the same size containing 80 % recycled material - in line with the far-advanced, publicly communicated climate targets of the major toy brands.

  • Regulation (PPWR)

    The PPWR has applied since 12 August 2026. From 2030 it sets reuse targets for certain transport packaging such as plastic crates and pallets; boxes made of cardboard or paperboard are exempt. Whether your shipping is affected depends on format and supply relationship - we are happy to check this with you.

Matching packaging

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Reference: hub-and-spoke at WMF

There is not yet a confirmed hey circle reference customer from the toy industry. WMF is the reference for the distribution pattern you share: the manufacturer of tableware and household goods supplies its stores with a reusable system instead of single-use cardboard. Important context: WMF is our reference for the store replenishment use case (use case cluster hub-and-spoke distribution) - that is, for the central warehouse to point of sale logistics pattern - not for the toy industry itself.

With the reusable boxes we are taking an important step towards sustainable, future-proof logistics processes.

Dominik Drögmöller | Logistics Consumer Projects & Process Manager, WMF

Frequently asked questions

Does reusable packaging suit our entire range?

For the parcel-sized part of it (small items, board games, puzzles) yes. For large, bulky outdoor play equipment at the limit of standard parcel dimensions it is honestly not the right format - and we will tell you that openly.

Do goods arrive undamaged, even at peak times?

Dimensionally stable boxes are tested with up to 400 kg stacking pressure and in a drop test from 80 cm - including at high volumes.

How do toy manufacturers supply retail chains with reusable packaging instead of single-use cardboard?

With a hub-and-spoke loop for the parcel-sized part of the range: goods go out in reusable packaging, the empty box comes back folded flat and bundled, with 53 % lower packaging costs on average.

How does the packaging come back?

Folded flat and bundled, back to the central warehouse via the parcel network. That is inexpensive, but not free once a parcel carrier is involved - so collect and bundle.

Does this work with our parcel carrier?

hey circle packaging has been tested and approved by all parcel carriers and runs through the normal sorting process with no surcharge.

Learn more

How can you save with reusables?

Our team will be happy to advise you on the benefits of reusable shipping packaging for your shipping loop.

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