The bad: Ultimately it's still a plastic toy, and if it gets lost out in the environment it won't degrade and could harm wildlife. Additionally, it's made in America: the recycling must be done in America too.

The good: The Zogoflex range is made by West Paw design. This is a company with some serious ethical credentials. They are a certified B corp: they have have a “positive impact on society, workers, the community and the environment”.

They won the Best for the World: Environment award four times! West Paw are a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition and committed to continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement even while Trump pulled America out of the agreement.Their products are all non toxic and infinitely recyclable - they literally turn old Zogoflex toys into new ones!

They also have a Zogoflex range containing recycled ocean bound plastic, with Seaflex Drifty and Seaflex Sailz West Paw constantly focus on the environmental impact of every decision, even when it comes to the building they work in - see the video below where they reuse the concrete walls of their factory! Read more here.

The distributor who imports Zogoflex into the UK from America has strong environmental policies: they use 100% renewable energy, offset their travel and dispatch only with reused packaging. They always try to import by boat rather than plane also.

West Paw manufacture everything they sell in their <em>own</em> factory, near the Rocky Mountains in America. They have never and will never outsource manufacturing to China or similar. This means that there are good labour laws in effect in the manufacture of these products, the staff are safe and paid well. They have even been named “Best Place to Work in Montana" and <a href="https://www.westpaw.com/blogs/scoop/west-paw-recognized-for-leadership-and-company-culture">recognised for their company culture</a>.

Here is a quote from a member of the manufacturing team

“I love working at West Paw because I truly feel valued instead of just another “employee.” That means a lot to me. I'm excited to come to work everyday to see what new challenge I may come across and love that I can continuously learn and reach my goals!"

— Cassie Montgomery, Production Shift Lead, & Dog's Best Friend.

West Paw also pay staff to volunteer in the local community as part of their role - currently, they are working with the Trust for Public Lands to create an off the lead Dog Park, making a $50,000 dollar donation and also paying staff while they volunteer at the park to maintain it. <a href="https://www.westpaw.com/pages/our-community" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more here</a>.

Finally, the recycled ocean bound plastic in <a href="https://oceanworks.co/pages/oceanworks-guaranteed">Seaflex is also fairly traded</a>: "Guaranteed partners comply with international standards for business, environmental and fair labor practices."

Oceanbound plastic is a mix of items such as drinks and cosmetics bottles, collected within 30 miles of the sea. It's plastic that would end up in the ocean. The post consumer waste plastic is collected within 50 km or 31 miles of the shoreline. Most of the Oceanbound plastic in Seaflex is collected in Central America, where many countries ship plastic. Sealfex has the Oceanworks guarantee.

Seaflex is made from 12.5% post-consumer recycled ocean-bound plastic (HDPE) and 88.5% Zogoflex (TPE). BPA Free, Phthalate Free, Latex Free, & FDA Compliant. Built for moderate chewers, seaflex is tested for toughness. The Zogoflex material is recyclable into new Zogoflex toys: please return the toy to us for recycling. For more information about Seaflex please see the Westpaw Seaflex FAQ.