Mattel wants to recycle your old toys.
The 76-year-old toy company is launching a pilot program called "Mattel PlayBack" that is designed to recover and reuse materials in old toys for future Mattel products.
The new effort is the company's latest step toward a sustainability-focused future. Mattel previously committed to using 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all of its products and packaging by 2030. Consumers can participate in the program by visiting Mattel's website, printing a free shipping label and packing and mailing their toys back to the company. The toys will then be sorted and separated by material type and processed and recycled, according to the company. Materials that cannot be repurposed as recycled content in new toys will either be downcycled into other plastic products or converted from waste to energy.
The toy company is kicking off this program with three brands — Barbie, Matchbox and MEGA toys — and plans to add other brands in the future.
The program will initially only be available in the United States and Canada, but the company is launching similar PlayBack programs in France, Germany and the United Kingdom with a third-party partner.