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Let’s face it: Some of our dogs go through toys like they’re going out of style. So it’s helpful when we can support companies that support the environment and help offset our pups’ carbon paw prints.
“Eco-friendly” dog toys can include a lot of different things: a product that’s made with biodegradable ingredients, toys that are recyclable or made from recycled materials, or a company committed to waste reduction or donating to environmentally friendly causes.
The toys we’ve chosen here can contribute, at least a little bit, to reducing your household’s environmental impact in at least one of the ways mentioned above. We selected some of our favorites for the tuggers, fetchers, destroyers, and snugglers in your home.
Want to know more about how to pick eco-friendly toys? Hop down to our shopping suggestions.
- Best Toy Made from Recycled Materials: West Paw Zogoflex Hurley Dog Toy
- Best Eco-Friendly Plush: Cycle Dog Duraplush FuzzBall
- Best Biodegradable Dog Toy: Wool Ball Dog Toy
- Best Eco-Friendly Rope Toy: Jax and Bones Dog Toys
- Best Eco-Friendly Treat-Holder: Cycle Dog High Roller
- Best Affordable Eco-Friendly Dog Toy: Spot Ethical Pets Skineeez
- Best Eco-Friendly Ball: Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Toy
- Best Toy for a Sustainable Cause: Project Hive Pet Company Disc
- Best Eco-Friendly Gift Set: Harry Barker Welcome Home Pet Bundle
Best Toy Made from Recycled Materials: West Paw Zogoflex Hurley Dog Toy
When it comes to recyclable toys made from recycled materials, West Paw is top dog. Its Zogoflex material is durable, bouncy, and easy to clean. While we’d recommend any of West Paw’s toys, we love the extra-durable Hurley, which bounces when tossed and floats in water and withstands lots and lots of chewing.
The company, based in Montana, is a certified B Corp and observes some of the most stringent quality standards when it comes to dog toys. Most of its products are made from recycled materials, including its own used-up toys—you can send your used ones back, and they will grind them up to make new ones.
Key Features:
- Made in the U.S. of recycled materials
- Backed by the company’s Love It Guarantee
- Certified B-corp
- You can send your toys in to be recycled
Best Eco-Friendly Plush: Cycle Dog Duraplush FuzzBall
Don’t be fooled by Cycle Dog’s small Amazon presence—this little Portland company is doing mighty work to reclaim rubber inner tubes from landfills. Fans of plush toys will appreciate the shockingly beefy eco-friendly FuzzBall, whose stuffing is made from consumer-recycled plastic bottles. The outer shell is tough, with hidden double-stitched seams.
These toys are handmade right at the company’s home base, which reduces the company’s carbon footprint over companies that manufacture overseas. They also make recycled collars, leashes, and beds in a range of colorful patterns and styles.
Key Features:
- Machine-washable
- Handmade in Portland, Oregon
- Stuffing is made from recycled plastic bottles
Best Biodegradable Dog Toy: Wool Ball Dog Toy
Biodegradable dog toys are another way to reduce your pup’s carbon paw print, and wool is one of the most eco-friendly materials around. These balls are made of 100% wool from New Zealand; they’re simple, bio-based dog toys with a texture and smell that a lot of dogs love. When they get super gross (as they inevitably will), just pop them in the wash.
This small, home-based business with brand ambassador Walter guarantees its toys are 100% free of harmful or synthetic chemicals.
Key Features:
- Wool is biodegradable
- No dyes or chemicals used
- Made in the U.S. from New Zealand wool
Best Natural Rope Toy: Jax and Bones Dog Toys
This little lobster dog toy, along with the other Jax and Bones animal friends, just stole our hearts. Not only is Louie the Lobster awfully cute, but these toys, and the company, have a strong commitment to sustainability. These are hand-tied using non-toxic cotton and dyed with all-natural vegetable dyes. Ten percent of proceeds from the sale of these toys go to rescue and animal welfare groups to boot.
The knotted texture appeals to chew hounds, and rope toys are a popular pick for dental health. When Louie gets a little slobbery, just pop him in the washing machine. Note that it’s not meant for destructive chewers but great for teething—you can get this toy wet and freeze it to soothe sore puppy mouths.
Key Features:
- Comes in multiple sizes and animal shapes
- Great for teeth cleaning
- Hand-tied and -dyed, using cotton rope and vegetable dyes
Best Eco-Friendly Treat-Holder: Cycle Dog High Roller
Another one from Oregon-based Cycle Dog, this treat-dispensing toy is made from Ecolast, post-consumer recycled rubber. This ball is locally made, though it’s worth noting that some of Cycle Dog’s rubber toy line is currently made by a sustainability-focused factory partner in China; the company performs independent testing of materials as well.
The High Roller floats in water, bounces on land, and stands up to even power chewers with its tough rubber exterior.
Key Features:
- Made from upcycled rubber in Oregon
- Tuck treats in for an engaging puzzle toy
- Easy to clean
- Comes in two sizes
Best Affordable Eco-Friendly Dog Toy: Spot Ethical Pet Skineeez
Sometimes being eco-friendly feels like it costs an arm and a leg—but your dog doesn’t go through these toys any slower than their less environmentally friendly counterparts. Enter Skineez, plush stuffing-free toys you can feel good about letting your dog destroy. Less stuffing means less mess and waste, and at under $8, they beat a lot of pricier eco-friendly products. Choose from a variety of squeaky forest friends for your dog to tug and shake.
Spot Ethical Pet has been playing the long game on eco-friendly practices. The company has been around since 1957, and its New Jersey facility operates on 100% solar power. Toys use recycled and/or natural materials, and the company is a member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition.
Key Features:
- Stuffing-free toys make for less waste
- Great value
- Washable
Best Eco-Friendly Ball: Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Toy
As far as eco-friendly dog toys go, this one is pretty on the nose, with its earth shape reminding you of the brand’s intentions. Rightly so—Planet Dog by Outward Hound has a number of eco-friendly ball toys to choose from. We love the original globe-shaped fetch ball that started the line, which doubles as a treat dispensing toy.
There’s also the two-in-one rope and ball toy for tug, fetch, and playing in water, plus the classic Snoop, with its bewitching power over nose-powered hounds. All of them are made in the U.S. from TPE rubber that is BPA-, lead-, and phthalate-free, and the toys are recyclable.
Key Features:
- Easy to clean
- Floats in water
- Comes in multiple sizes and styles for your dog’s particular play style
- Can add treats to turn it into a food puzzle toy
Best Toy for a Sustainable Cause: Project Hive Pet Company Disc
Project Hive’s bright toys are BPA-, latex-, and phthalate-free, and come in recyclable (paper) packaging. The Minnesota-based company’s overarching goal is to establish 50 million square feet of wildflower habitat by 2025 for the wide variety of bee species (including honeybees) that all contribute to pollination.
Project Hive isn’t just in it for bees, however; it’s B Corp Certified and a PBC. According to reviewers, this disc is a hit with puppers—and durable, floatable, and dishwasher-safe to boot.
Key Features:
- B-Corp and a Public Benefit Company
- One percent of each purchase goes towards planting wildflowers to enlarge bee habitats
- Made in the U.S.
- Other Project Hive toys include a ball, a fetch stick, and a chew toy
Best Eco-Friendly Gift Set: Harry Barker Welcome Home Pet Bundle
Why settle on one dog toy when you can have a whole basketful of eco-friendly goodies? This bundle makes a thoughtful gift for anyone with a new furry family member. Inside the handy rope bin, you’ll find a blanket, leash, two toys, and farmhouse checkered waste bag holder.
Harry Barker uses biobased fabrics, azo-free dyes (carcinogenic dyes common in the textile industry), environmentally kind inserts and batting, and 100% post-consumer recycled plastics. The two plush friends inside this bundle include a squeaky llama with stuffing made from recycled plastic bottles and a rope toy made from recycled yarn (you can buy the llama or the rope toy individually too).
Find on AmazonHow To Pick Eco-Friendly Dog Toys and Products
Want to buy more eco-friendly dog products generally? Here are some things to be on the lookout for as you shop:
- Ingredients. Many eco-friendly toy makers will mention what their toys don’t contain, such as phthalates, lead, or BPA. You’ll also see some toys made with TPE (thermoplastic elastomers), which is a stable material that takes less energy to produce. A toy that uses non-toxic or vegetable dyes and recycled materials is also good.
- Certifications. You’ll often see notations such as “B Corp Certified” or “a Public Benefit Company (PBC)”—B Corp Certification means the business meets high performance, accountability, and transparency standards that includes supply chain and material use. A PBC is a for-profit company that must include one or more specific public benefits, such as environmental benefits, in its charter.
- Location. Where a toy is made makes an environmental impact, too. Is it a small company that makes their own dog toys right at company HQ, reducing their transportation emissions and costs? Or, if a factory is used, is the company transparent about sourcing and quality control?
How We Chose
The eco-friendly dog toys featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing and a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms. We prioritized products with eco-friendly materials and/or environmentally conscious business practices, as well as looking at durability and quality. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pups, who are never stingy with their feedback.