Program will provide complementary learning materials for parents and children as part of the Plush for the Planet product line
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Whitmore Lake, Michigan. April 21, 2023. The Bear Factory today announced the launch of its new sustainability education focus for youth that will be supported by a strategic partnership with the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to make sustainability an integral part of every child’s K-12 learning experience. The motivation of this partnership is to create educational resources and curriculum for families on various themes regarding environmental sustainability and action.
Creating an environmental literacy resource center is the next evolutionary step The Bear Factory has taken since first releasing Plush for the Planet in 2020. Providing educational resources with the plush line will create unique learning opportunities for children who can now associate their lovable, sustainable, plush buddies with a relevant sustainability topic. For instance, they can learn about the ecosystems that they themselves and the animals their plush buddies represent are a part of. Another, less obvious, beneficiary of these resources are the business owners and product retailers who will find content focused on sustainable business practices in the content library.
“We have learned so much about our business ‘paw print’ and the impact we have on our planet over the last few years.” said Jimmy Banish, Chief Operations Officer and Partner at The Bear Factory. “Creating an amazing product that supports a circular economy has been a main focus for us, but we also now see the need to create simple education opportunities for all of our stakeholders. We have historically led the industry in design and innovation. We now also want to lead in education and implementation with regards to sustainable business.”
While The Bear Factory’s sustainable plush line has grown in popularity over the last three years, it recognized the value of impactful educational content to heighten their impact. This is where connecting with education professionals who already are seeing results and success is paramount to the program’s launch. CELF has been working since 2003 to embed sustainability across core curriculum, reaching over 1.5 million students and 15,000 teachers across the country with education for sustainability programming.
“Our team at CELF is thrilled to launch this partnership with The Bear Factory, who with Plush for the Planet is modeling what sustainable business practices can look like, and connecting those practices to learning opportunities for children and families,” said Tara Stafford Ocansey, Executive Director at CELF. “This partnership will help to inspire future sustainable business leaders and conscious consumers, and we look forward to building our library of interdisciplinary, action-oriented learning resources with the support of The Bear Factory.”
About the Bear Factory
Founded in 2001, The Bear Factory is a Michigan based, family owned and globally operated company who specializes in the manufacturing of sustainability sourced build your own plush toys. TBF’s mission as a business is to create lasting memories while also preserving our planet. This is accomplished by creating the highest quality plush products that are made of sustainable materials while also making every effort to educate the next generation on the importance of animal and environmental conservation.
About the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation
The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation was founded in 2003 with the mission to establish sustainability as an integral part of every child’s K-12 learning experience. Through immersive and innovative professional learning programs for educators, CELF has reached over 1.5 million students, 15,000 educators, and over 5,000 schools across the country.
Media Contact:
Audrey Choate | Marketing Coordinator
The Bear Factory
248.437.4930