Over 1,500 participants from 54 countries applied for the 11th edition of the Green Product Award, which reviewed submissions based on design, innovation and sustainability.

Among the best submissions nominated is the Cubo Montessori Box, a modular play box that grows with the child’s learning needs from birth to preschool years. It is an educational toy made of beech wood, a sustainable material.

The Cubo Montessori Box, with 24 play configurations anchored on 8 learning kits, serves as a roadmap to meeting children’s developmental milestones from 0-5 years. It comes with a single play box with swappable parts. Kids only need to replace the lids and parts to jump from one play pattern to another, such as pounding balls to pegs.

“The Cubo Montessori Box is a good example of the level of creativity and passion with which our nominees are contributing to a more sustainable future,” said Nils Bader, director of the Green Product Awards.

Maker Cubo Toys’ mission is to help parents move away from single-use (plastic) toys through modular and multifunctional toys that grow with the child’s learning needs. With the rapid development of kids in the first five years of life, parents find that their toys, clothes and books have overtaken their living and storage spaces, with items needing to be replenished every two to three months to fit their kids’ growing size and appetite for learning.

Cubo Toys aims for toys that help kids play for good — good for the planet, for themselves and their homes.

Since 2013, the international Green Product Award has been honoring products and services that stand out in terms of design, innovation and sustainability. In cooperation with the IKEA Stiftung, the Green Concept Award evaluates concepts by young designers and supports their further development.

The online public voting for the winners of the Green Product Award is ongoing until 14 January 2024. The awards ceremony will be in April 2024.