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2030 goals: Mattel aims for 100% recycled and recyclable toys

Firm behind Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price plans to launch first toy made from and packaged in green materials in early 2020.

Toymaker Mattel has set its sights on ensuring all of its products are made from and packaged in 100 percent recycled, recyclable or bio-based materials within the next decade, with children able to get their hands on its first sustainably made toys early next year, it announced mid-December.

The U.S. firm — which manufactures toys under brands including Fisher-Price, Barbie and Hot Wheels — said its first product made entirely from 100 percent recyclable, bio-based plastic would go on sale worldwide during the first half of 2020.

First launched back in 1960, the latest version of the Fisher-Price "Rock-a-Stack" baby toy will be made from renewable sugar cane plastics, and will be fully recyclable. Mattel said the new materials will cut waste and enable the material to be recovered and repurposed at the end of the toy's lifetime, Mattel said.

"Innovation is part of our DNA, and it is central to our work in environmental sustainability," said Mattel's president and COO, Richard Dickson. "Our world-class designers have consistently created products that can be passed on to generations and, today, we are continuing this proud tradition with our new sustainable Rock-a-Stack, one of the most iconic and best-selling toys in the toy industry."

The new 2030 goal expands on the firm's existing sustainability principles, which recently saw it secure 93 percent of its paper and wood fiber from Forest Stewardship Council.
The new 2030 goal expands on the firm's existing sustainability principles, which recently saw it secure 93 percent of its paper and wood fiber from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sources, surpassing its 2018 target of 90 percent.

It also has adopted a standardized recycling label on its products and established a new Environmental Sustainability Council within the company to help drive further green product innovation, the firm said.

Mattel's chairman and CEO, Ynon Kreiz, said environmental sustainability was a top priority for the firm. "Our dedicated cross-functional team made sustainability a key priority throughout the product and packaging design and production process," he said.

"Today, we are delivering on that priority by announcing our first product made from sustainable materials and we look forward to expanding our efforts to all Mattel brands."

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