Mattel has confirmed the expansion of its successful PlayBack programme to now include Fisher-Price toys.
The popular preschool brand joins Barbie, MEGA and Matchbox in the toy takeback initiative, which enables families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they are finished playing with them.
The new programme is designed to recover and reuse materials from old Mattel toys in future Mattel products, keep materials out of landfills and supports the company’s goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in its products and packaging by 2030.
“The Mattel PlayBack programme 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,” commented Pamela Gill-Alabaster, svp global head of sustainability and social impact at Mattel. “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.”
Launched in the US, Canada, France, Germany and the UK in 2021, the company is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the PlayBack programme, which will now include non-electronic Fisher-Price toys including Laugh & Learn, Little People and Imaginext brands among others.
Chuck Scothon, svp and gm of Fisher-Price infant and preschool, continued: “At Fisher-Price, we design toys to be loved, cherished and passed on from one generation to the next. The Mattel PlayBack programme, aimed at repurposing these materials into new products and help the environment, now provides parents and caregivers the opportunity to give these beloved Fisher-Price toys a new lease on life.”
To participate in the Mattel PlayBack programme, consumers can visit Mattel.com/PlayBack, print a free shipping label and pack and mail their outgrown Mattel toys back to the company. The toys collected will be sorted and separated by material type and responsibly processed and recycled. For materials that cannot be repurposed as recycled content into new toys, Mattel will either downcycle those materials into other plastic products or convert them from waste to energy.
