Radio Flyer, the maker of The Authentic Little Purple Wagon, is an iconic model that immediately transports many individuals to a cheerful time —one of the best elements of childhood. I lately had an opportunity to catch-up with Robert Pasin, the Chief Wagon Officer of Radio Flyer, a enterprise based by his grandfather in 1917.

Robert informed me how he and his crew of “Flyers” are targeted on constructing a extremely dedicated and inventive crew, and instilling a tradition of innovation and that firm gross sales have grown by an element of ten since he took over in 1997. Additional, the corporate’s product line has expanded past the long-lasting Little Purple Wagon to incorporate tricycles, scooters, and different ride-ons that includes progressive, lovely, playful designs. I used to be additionally shocked to be taught that Robert can be the Emmy-winning producer of the animated brief movie, Taking Flight.

Whereas households have trusted and cherished Radio Flyer for 105 years, Robert needed to pave his personal path and reinvent the corporate to make sure the model may proceed to evolve to satisfy prospects’ wants with out shedding the model nostalgia that so many know and love. In 2021, for the primary time in Radio Flyer historical past, the model created a line of Merchandise for adults: FLYER, a line of electrical bicycles designed particularly for households.

For greater than 20 years, Radio Flyer has additionally partnered with the Starlight Basis to supply wagons to be used in hospitals. The enduring Little Purple Wagon has been delivered to greater than 800 hospitals all through the nation bringing smiles, laughter and creativeness again into the lives of younger sufferers.

Robert informed me how he has targeted the corporate on sustainability and practices equivalent to carbon-neutral delivery, aiming to face other than the fad-driven, packaging-heavy nature of the toy trade. From sustainable packaging to Radio Flyer work arduous to make sure prospects can really feel sure their buy is made with eco-conscious practices in thoughts. In September 2022, Radio Flyer grew to become a Licensed B Company, turning into the primary international toy and eBike producer so acknowledged for its dedication and progress towards optimistic environmental and social influence.

Under is an edited excerpt from our dialogue.

Christopher Marquis: Are you able to please share a bit concerning the historical past and values of Radio Flyer?

Robert Pasin: Radio Flyer was based in 1917 by my grandpa, Antonio Pasin, who began the enterprise with a wood coaster wagon that he would make at night time and promote throughout the day. He was obsessed with making a superbly designed, high quality product that may final a very long time. Certainly one of his core values was to create merchandise he might be pleased with and that had inherent worth.

Now, greater than 100 years later, Radio Flyer makes way more than our iconic Little Purple Wagon. We make all the pieces from tricycles to scooters to bounce homes. And, whereas we are actually the world chief in ride-ons for teenagers, we lately joined the micro-mobility motion by launching electrical bicycles for adults. This product line is designed to satisfy the wants of households on the go, offering a sustainable and handy various to vehicles. Our purpose is extra bikes rides and fewer automobile journeys.

Regardless of our important product diversification, our mission has remained the identical for over a century. We carry smiles to children of all ages and create heat reminiscences that final a lifetime. Because of this we pursued B Corp certification, the gold customary for firms who’re working arduous to be good residents of the world. We’re dedicated to doing our half to protect the setting for generations to come back so that youngsters and households can proceed to train their imaginations and revel in out of doors play.

Marquis: Inform me about what eco-conscious practices are applied when prospects make a purchase order on RadioFlyer.com.

Pasin: Greater than 20 years in the past, as I grew to become extra conscious of menace of local weather change and the significance of sustainability, I spotted that we may do higher. It was the proper factor to do. We kicked off our sustainability journey with measurement. As soon as we had a baseline, we needed to work towards bettering and increasing our objectives diligently.

One of many issues we have now going for us is that our merchandise are inherently sustainable as a result of they are often reused, handed down by generations, and repaired if wanted. As well as, the carbon emissions from every merchandise bought on RadioFlyer.com are 100% offset by a verified emission discount challenge. Our complete product line is now 99.6% PVC-free, and we have now began changing polybags with extra paper-based packaging, saving greater than 43,000 kilos of single-use packaging per 12 months. We have now additionally diversified our provide chain to extend the quantity of recycled content material utilized in our packaging to 87%. A lot of this work is finished in factories powered by photo voltaic, which in 2020 led to greater than 500 tons of averted CO2 emissions.

Marquis: What are a few of the sustainability initiatives your crew is most pleased with up to now?

Pasin: One of many merchandise we’re actually pleased with is our Seashore & Boardwalk Wagon. The Seashore & Boardwalk Wagon is essentially the most sustainable product in our product line with a physique product of 100% recycled PET from plastic water bottles, bottle caps, soda bottles and meals containers. Every wagon removes roughly 90 plastic water bottles from landfills and oceans, and 15% of the plastic used within the wagon body and wheels are produced from recycled content material. I believe this can be a good means for folks to share the significance of recycling and sustainability whereas choosing up plastic waste from seashores.

Whereas the Seashore & Boardwalk Wagon stands out, I’m pleased with all our sustainability initiatives and our progress up to now. It is uncommon to see legacy manufacturers like ours embracing sustainability, and whereas we all know we cannot get it good instantly, we’re actively studying and adjusting our strategy to be higher.

Marquis: Radio Flyer has historically been a toy producer however launched its first grownup eBike line, FLYER final 12 months. Why get into eBikes now?

Pasin: Years in the past, I used to be in Amsterdam after I noticed households utilizing cargo bikes as an alternative choice to vehicles, utilizing them to take children to and from college and different actions. Instantly I believed, “how cool!” However for those who’ve ever ridden a conventional non-powered cargo bike with two children, it’s actually arduous to pedal – particularly up hills.

So, in June 2021, we launched the Flyer line of grownup eBikes. The Flyer line is an extension of the Radio Flyer model created with the identical lovely design and high quality that has impressed our work for over a century. We launched our first two Flyer eBikes, the M880 and the L885, and lately launched our new Flyer Folding Cargo in October 2022. This shift made sense for us as a result of most of our merchandise are designed for energetic play and purpose to get children exterior, which is the position these eBikes play for the entire household. The extension into grownup merchandise permits us to serve generations over time.

All of our eBikes are designed with distinctive equipment that allow mother and father to get pleasure from a motorcycle journey with their children. For example, you’ll be able to add issues like a water bottle holder, mobile phone mount, storage baskets, Child & Cargo Provider for teenagers ages 5-10 years and a Maxi Seat that safely harnesses youthful riders, ages 9 months-6 years. In truth, we’re listening to so many tales about mother and father utilizing the eBikes to skip the dreaded college carpool traces.

We’re obsessed with serving to mother and father rethink transportation and contemplate a extra sustainable and handy mode for the entire household. We need to exchange neighborhood automobile rides with eBike rides so households can discover the outside whereas doing their half to guard it.

Marquis: Your crew additionally constructed the Hero Wagon to be used with kids present process medical care in hospitals. How did this concept come to life and what was the driving drive behind this challenge?

Pasin: Radio Flyer has supported the Starlight Kids’s Basis mission of bringing pleasure and luxury to hospitalized kids and their households since 2001. Radio Flyer’s partnership began with donating greater than 15,000 of our iconic crimson wagons to kids’s hospitals and different healthcare services.

The Hero Wagon got here to be after years of observing how our merchandise have been being utilized in hospitals. We noticed the enjoyment they may carry and wished to make them even higher and extra purposeful for hospital employees. That is how the Hero Wagon was born – we developed our patented folding wagon to supply a simple answer to retailer, sanitize, and carry vital gear like IV poles by the halls of hospitals.

The Hero Wagon could be very close to and pricey to our hearts at Radio Flyer, because it encapsulates what we try for as an organization. If we will carry only one smile to children enduring a few of their hardest instances, we have now exceeded our mission with the Hero Wagon.

Marquis: Your grandfather constructed this enterprise 105-years in the past. What do you suppose his response can be taking a look at how you’ve got grown the enterprise at the moment?

Pasin: I believe he can be each amazed and proud to see how Radio Flyer has developed. My grandpa had a transparent mission when he created the corporate, and the aim carried by when my father took over; nonetheless, as everyone knows, the world has modified vastly over the previous couple of many years. By the point I took over, I spotted we would have liked to start out conducting enterprise extra purposefully to verify the subsequent era’s reminiscences may final a lifetime.

We’re obsessed with sustaining a world the place households can discover the outside and embrace their imaginations. And we all know we can’t go on this journey alone. We belief that, if all of us work towards the values the B Corp mannequin exemplifies, we will create a world that enables our youngsters and grandkids to create these long-lasting reminiscences my grandfather dreamed for our household.

Marquis: Radio Flyer was named the primary international toy and eBike producer to obtain a B Corp certification. Inform me about what led you to getting this certification. Why is it significant to you?

Pasin: Traditionally, the toy trade hasn’t been the primary group that involves thoughts when discussing sustainability– we have now distinctive challenges to beat, just like the broad use of plastic, the economics behind sourcing sustainable supplies, and the fad-driven nature of merchandise. It is a giant a part of why we at Radio Flyer really feel a novel duty to do higher. We acknowledge that sustainability is not only a passing development and wish to be a frontrunner on this area. We incorporate sustainable practices into our enterprise mannequin, our particular person merchandise, and our HQ operations. It may be uncommon to see legacy manufacturers embracing sustainability wholeheartedly and topping influence lists like we’re, which is why we knew it was vital to double down on our dedication to sustainability and social influence. Sustainability is important to profitable enterprise operations for a lot of causes, however for us, it indicators how we proceed to problem the established order, and encourage others to do the identical.

Marquis: How do you count on your prospects to react to the information?

Pasin: So many companies and customers wish to make a distinction these days. It does not cease on the producer or model. Shoppers more and more need to know if firms and types are good residents of the world, if they’re treating their workers proper and doing their half to guard the planet.

Client buying behaviors are altering: they wish to incorporate extra sustainable merchandise. In truth, we have now discovered that buyers perceive the worth of merchandise that trigger much less hurt to the setting. Shoppers are in search of sustainable choices and merchandise they’ll be ok with buying and I believe our efforts on this area give them another reason to think about Radio Flyer.

Marquis: The place is Radio Flyer headed and what are subsequent steps for the enterprise because it continues to develop into much more sustainable and socially accountable?

Pasin: Our purpose is to be round for one more 105 years. We’re in it for the lengthy haul and need to maintain making merchandise for households that delight households throughout the globe. We’re going to maintain working arduous to proceed bettering and have a optimistic influence on the world. We’re taking it one step at a time to make sure that we aren’t dashing or skipping vital steps in our sustainability journey. I’m working intently with my crew to find out the place we’re headed subsequent. We’re working in opposition to our science-based goal purpose for 2030, together with reductions to Scope 1, 2 and three emissions.

We have efficiently decreased our Scope 1 and a pair of emissions by main adjustments made at our headquarters that resulted in larger operational efficiencies throughout water, power, and different useful resource utilization. This led to our LEED Platinum certification, which makes us extraordinarily proud.

We have now made progress in our Scope 3 emissions by merchandise made utilizing recycled supplies, higher packaging picks, and growing renewable power utilization in our factories, however like many firms, we nonetheless have extra work to do on this space.

We have additionally made nice progress in areas exterior of sustainability. We’re dedicated to being anti-racist and creating an inclusive setting that makes Radio Flyer a world-class office. Final 12 months, in early June, amidst the social unrest experiences throughout the nation, we requested our Flyers for sincere, nameless suggestions on how we have been doing and what’s wanted on the variety and inclusion entrance. Based mostly on the suggestions obtained, we have now outlined an motion plan categorized into 5 buckets: Hiring, Management & Training, Folks Practices, Group Tradition & Advantages, and Exterior Partnerships.

There’s nonetheless work to be accomplished and our push to create optimistic change won’t ever cease however we’re pleased with the progress made to-date, and I can’t wait to see the place we go subsequent.