Mattel spares rainforest, Greenpeace cheers

Toy giant Mattel, the maker of Barbie and Ken dolls, will stop using packaging linked to the destruction of rainforests, the company announced Wednesday. Greenpeace calls it a victory for Sumatran tigers and anyone worried about climate change.

Mattel’s corporate policy change comes in the wake of a quirky campaign to save Indonesian rainforests launched by Greenpeace in June.  It declared that massive clear cutting is destroying the habitat of endangered species and destroys carbon sinks which absorb greenhouse gases.

Videos go viral

Greenpeace analyzed Mattel toy packaging and found it contained Indonesian hardwood. It created an animated video showing Mattel’s Ken doll breaking up with Barbie because she destroyed the rainforest.

Greenpeace campaigner Shane Moffat says over 2,000,000 people viewed the videos and over half a million e-mailed Mattel.

Mattel takes action

Mattel has launched what it calls new sustainable principles for its packaging: maximizing recycled content, avoiding virgin fibre from controversial sources, and increasing the percentage of fibre certified sustainable by a credible third party.

Greenpeace’s Shane Moffat says everyone wins with this decision: the Sumatran tiger, Greenpeace supporters, the planet and Mattel because it made a smart business decision.

Greenpeace campaigners will not stop trying to save rainforests, Moffat said.  They plan to “encourage” other toy makers like Hasbro and Disney to do what Mattel has done to make sure their packaging is sustainable.

Links:

- Mattel announcement
- Greenpeace announcement
- Greenpeace video