At Mattel, sustainability is driven by our desire to make the world a better place through play. We view sustainability as an investment in the current and future generations on whom our business depends. In support of our company goals, Mattel will design, manufacture and market our playful products while striving to continuously reduce our environmental impacts.
An example of this has been the long-standing collaboration between Mattel and Walmart to eliminate wire twist ties. Fasteners, such as twist ties, are traditionally used to keep our products stable and intact during delivery and distribution; however, non-recyclable wire twist ties are not environmentally preferable and may be inconvenient for some consumers. Since 2009, Mattel has eliminated more than 90 percent of wire twist ties, which is equivalent to 363 tons of material. Just how much is 363 tons of material? That’s equivalent to 12 million Hot Wheels® cars (or 220 hippopotamus)!
Through this effort, we have identified more sustainable fastener alternatives that also are consumer friendly. Since the features of our products vary, we have transitioned from conventional metal twist ties to a “blended fastener” solution that accommodates the complexity of our products. Examples of these different kinds of recyclable and/or easy-to-use fasteners include such solutions as paper strings, thread and Dennison™ tach-its, die-cut paper board and key-lock fasteners. As Mattel creates the future of play, we also will continue to explore fastener alternatives, such as recyclable PET plastic bands and biodegradable ties. Check out our video to see how easy opening toy packaging has become!
You can learn more about these efforts in our 2012 Global Citizenship Report.
