![]() A recent study commissioned by The Toy Association found that the sustainability of toys is important to over three-quarters of parents. It also keeps the multinational in line with customer preferences. ![]() The initiative aligns with Mattel’s sustainability goals, specifically a 2030 aim for completely recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics in products and packaging. We are also exploring new technologies in plastic processing and recycling, with our longer-term goal to use materials collected through Mattel PlayBack in future toy production.” As Pamela Gill-Alabaster, Mattel's senior vice president and global head of sustainability and social impact, describes in a press statement, “The Mattel PlayBack program has been eagerly received by consumers and has provided tremendous learning specific to the durability and disassembly of our products, which will aid in the future design of products made for the circular economy. It also provides the corporation with an opportunity for innovation and a source of second-hand material. Mattel’s growing PlayBack initiative isn’t just a boon to the environment. PlayBack provides an opportunity for bottom line benefits And the pollution caused by discarded plastic products finding their way into streams, rivers and larger bodies of water is a growing problem that has already reached 14 million tons a year. An estimate from 2021 put plastic production en route to exceed the amount of greenhouse gases that coal-fired power plants produce before the turn of the new decade. ![]() Still, the environmental issues are increasingly hard to ignore. The novelty of plastic has worn off, though the durability and versatility continue to be hard to beat by metals, rubber or other materials. We’ve come a long way from the 1940s, when Fisher-Price started the trend of offering entirely plastic products. Other materials will be downcycled or converted into energy. The company says it will recycle what it can into new toys. The process is simple: toy owners can box up their playthings, print a prepaid label and send their package to Mattel. This means children and parents are able to send back Barbie Dreamhouses, colorful Mega Bloks and now Thomas toy engines for recycling – any product that isn’t electric. One year after Mattel launched its PlayBack program, Fisher-Price, one of the corporation’s many brands, has signed on, joining the likes of Barbie, Mega and Matchbox. Dolls, for example, can be too complicated for local recycling facilities to process, which is why toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel have paired up with TerraCycle, a company that aims to “ recycle the unrecyclable.” Into the trash - that’s too often the fate for toys that have been well-used and outgrown or chewed up by pets and broken apart.
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