HABA on the outside means quality on the inside

Our commitment to the quality of materials and their processing

At HABA we have a principle: toys are only as good as their materials and their workmanship. That’s why we’re careful to ensure high quality when selecting materials! And we constantly check their workmanship – both during in-house production and at our suppliers. When the company was founded in 1938 and in the subsequent years, HABA exclusively manufactured products from wood. But when we started producing board games, sturdy cardboard was added to the materials used (for the game boards, cards, and tiles). Over the past decades, HABA’s product range has been consistently expanded – various polyester materials and high-quality plastics, for example, have gradually been added. All materials used are thoroughly checked before production begins.

Wood … naturally good for our toys

Wood is one of the most natural and beautiful raw materials around. This is why wooden toys are still an indispensable part of the HABA product range today. Our products made from wood have carried the PEFC seal since 2010. This verifies that we use wood from sustainable forestry in German forests. Our beech and birch wood comes from forests within a radius of 150 km of our site in Bad Rodach, Franconia. The plywood we import from Finland and Russia also comes exclusively from controlled cultivation. In this way, we support the preservation of an ecological balance of forests and make a significant and lasting contribution to improving global forest use and maintenance. When we bring color into wooden toys, we only use solvent-free, water-based paints and stains. So it’s completely safe when babies and toddlers put any of our wooden toys, such as clutching toys or pacifier chains, in their mouths.

Fabric … the material for lots of cuddly toys

Our designers create a variety of fabric products using a wide range of materials: smooth, easy-care polyester fabrics, but also soft velour fabrics, cord, felt, and mesh. It is precisely the different look and feel of the fabrics that makes a toy for babies and toddlers so interesting. Our fabric toys are produced by various suppliers around the world, who we carefully select and whose production sites we regularly visit. This gives us an overview of the production situation and the social standards, such as working hours, working conditions, etc.

High-quality plastic … very versatile

We mainly use plastics for our sand toys. The HABA sand toy range contains all the basics for digging and playing in the sand for children from the age of one and a half, but also many sand molds, with which children can play creative and imaginative role playing games in the sand. Our customers get a five-year guarantee on the polypropylene and ABS plastics used in HABA sand toys.

In addition, we manufacture some baby clutching toys and various individual parts for ball tracks from plastic … whenever our designers can use the advantages of plastic for their designs. This creates fantastic combinations of wood and plastic, for example in the Kullerbü play system.

Sturdy cardboard … for a lot of fun playing

Cardboard is perhaps the most inconspicuous material we use, but it plays a very important role. In games, we use cardboard for game boards, tiles, or cards. Cardboard parts play a central role here alongside wooden figures, because the illustrations printed on them create the game’s atmosphere. Most of our books are also made of cardboard. This allows us to create many of the features popular with children, such as flaps, peep holes, and turntables. The beautifully illustrated HABA puzzles are also made of cardboard; our puzzles for toddlers are particularly robust.

Certified quality management

Our quality management is certified according to nationally and internationally recognized quality standard DIN EN ISO 9001:2015. The standard requires, for instance, that existing processes and procedures be reviewed again and again and, if necessary, adapted to improve quality. This enables us to continuously improve the quality of our products and services for the benefit of our customers. ISO 9001 defines the minimum requirements for a quality management system. With the introduction of our process-oriented approach, processes are examined and the target specifications compared with the actual values. If deviations are found, this leads to the definition and planning of measures with the aim of continuous improvement and change. A written Quality Policy also exists. This is regularly reviewed and adapted if necessary.