Mattel Wants Your Old Toys When You're Done With Them

Image: Mattel

Good news for all of you who’ve still got boxes of old Barbies stored at your parents house (or in your own garage). Mattel wants to recycle them for you.

It’s all part of a new pilot program called “Mattel PlayBack”, that is aimed at giving toys a “second life” by recovering and recycling materials in old products for new ones. It’s just the latest in the 76-year-old’s company’s step toward a more sustainablility-focused future.

Right now Mattel is only accepting, Barbie, Matchbox and MEGA toys, but the company says they plan to add other brands in the future. If you want to participate in the program all you have to do is visit Mattel’s website, print out a free shipping label, and pack and mail your toys back to the company. Once they arrive, the toys will be sorted and separated. According to the company, materials that can’t be repurprosed will either be downcycled into other plastic products or converted from waste into energy.

The program will initially only be rolled out in the United States and Canada, but according to a company spokesperson says Mattel also plans to launch similar PlayBack programs in France, Germany and the United Kingdom with a third-party partner. Mattel has already committed to using 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all its product lines and packaging by 2030.

Marena Bronson is the Editor-in-Chief of Fashion and Fandom and an award-winning journalist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

H/T: Forbes