ReJOY: A CSR Initiative

The origin of an idea

I came up with the idea for ReJOY after attending several of my nephew's birthday parties. His parent rent the same school hall every year, and every year, the same toys get wheeled out for the children to play with.

Over the years, I saw the plastic tricycles and rocking horses become more worn, their paint faded, their surfaces covered in layers of love. One of the parents even went as far to say to their child, who was about to pick one of the toys up, "Don't touch that - it looks very old, and I think it's broken."

It occurred to me that schools and nurseries just don't have the budget to replace communal toys very often. And, when they need disposing of, what happens to them?

As part of Impact Futures Group, the organisation's The Childcare Company brand works with a number of employers in the early years education and childcare sector. I recognised an opportunity to not only educate institutions on how to dispose of toys mindfully, but significantly impact sustainability as it relates to toy waste in a meaningful way.

"The average UK family disposes of 32 kgs of toys annually. That's about six wheelie bins full. As far as our planet goes, that's six wheelie bins too many. Mixed plastics like the ones used in toy manufacture don't biodegrade quickly or easily. Look at the toys in your home, day care, and schools. They will still exist in some form on this Earth long after your family is gone. Action needs to be taken to preserve the planet for generations to come." EMMA CHAMPION

When an internal contest was held to pitch an idea for a new CSR initiative, I saw an opportunity for my employer to contribute meaningfully to the reduction of toy waste. I set to work fleshing my idea out.

Making ReJOY a reality

My idea was selected as on of the three finalists in the internal contest. Now, I needed to do the research and present the facts to get ReJOY over the line.

I identified a potential partner in West Midlands-based toy recycling operation, Toys 4 Life, and reached out to them. They had never partnered with a corporation before, and were very excited at the prospect. They had all the infrastructure to be able to recycle and safety redistribute plastic toys items. As part of our partnership arrangement, Toys 4 Life also pledged a donation of 20p per kilo of toys donated through the initiative to the charities of our choice. This partnership would also ensure a minimum-cost model for Impact Futures Group, making it financially viable as well.

I put together a Project Proposal to support my pitch, which contained a detailed overview, various analyses such as a SWOT, PESTLE, SMART objectives, RACI matrix and Risk matrix, ideas for marketing and promotion, and details of the proposed partnership. I also storyboarded and wrote the script for an animated video which was screened as part of my pitch.

Of the 3 finalists, my idea won the contest.

I was then named the Project Lead by the Senior Leadership Team, with support from IFG's Project Director, and Head of Social Impact.

ReJOY in a nutshell

ReJOY is a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative created to help nurseries, care homes, schools, and families reduce toy waste heading to landfill, giving old belongings new beginnings.

Impact Futures Group has proudly partnered with Toys 4 Life to recycle and redistribute toys so that they cannot damage the environment. The initiative will also promote principles such as restoring, rehoming, and appreciating the value of unwanted or disused toys for those who may yet get some enjoyment out of them, or do not readily have access to them.

These approaches are designed to enable the adult care and early years organisations we work with, as well as the families they serve, to:

• Be mindful in their toy consumption

• Find constructive ways to dispose of surplus toy items

• Contribute meaningfully to sustainability

ReJOY aims to minimise environmental damage, and preserve the planet for future generations.

For every 32 kgs of toys our ReJOY initiative accumulates in toy donations, we will have diverted a whole family’s worth of waste from landfill. Toys 4 Life will also donate 20p per kilo of toys donated to the charities IFG is supporting this year.

The ReJOY journey so far

After much work and preparation, ReJOY is launching in June 2026. I have written and templated a landing page for the IFG website, which is now live. The ReJOY working group is busy identifying sites for potential toy recycling banks, and an initial toy drive is taking place on the day of launch.

As Senior Content & Communication Manager at IFG, I will be coordinating marketing content for the ReJOY project, including articles, videos, PR collaborations, social media, and more. I am very proud of this project, and thrilled to see it coming to life.