From ocean plastic Barbie dolls and carbon neutral Matchbox die-cast Teslas to its first Mega Bloks collection to be made from plant-based materials and ISCC-certified biocircular plastics, Mattel is striving to push the boundaries in at-scale sustainability innovation on the international toy scene.

And when it’s not busy pushing things forward, the global toy brand is occupied with taking things back under its Mattel PlayBack initiative to encourage families to return their well-loved Mattel toys to the toy maker for material recapture and repurposing.

It’s for these reasons, and more, that Mattel finds itself joining a panel session of the most forward-thinking brand owners and producers this Sustainability in Licensing Conference as Mattel EMEA’s lead engineer for quality and compliance, Elizabeth Eaves makes her return to the discussion.

Ahead of the event – taking place at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Wednesday, 8 November (and tickets are available for in-person attendance or digital only, here0 – we catch up with Elizabeth to learn just some of the latest.

Hello Elizabeth! We’re delighted that you’re joining us again for SiLC and we cannot wait for the panel session you’ll be joining. Can you talk us through Mattel’s latest developments with sustainability? What have been some of the milestone moments for you guys this past year? 

Mattel has been working to make progress on sustainability across multiple areas of the business. Our ESG strategy and goals are organized into three pillars, two of which focus specifically on environmental sustainability: Sustainable Design and Development, and Responsible Sourcing and Production. We’re committed to progressing our sustainability strategy and goals, and as a team we talk about progress, not perfection. This is a long-term goal, and we are thinking of it as a marathon, not a sprint.

With that being said, we are incredibly proud of the developments and innovations we’ve been able to make so far on our journey. We’ve gone way beyond prototypes and have been able to bring first-of-a-kind products to market at scale, which makes it even more remarkable.

There are several examples of this scenario, such as Barbie Loves the Ocean, the brand’s first fashion doll line made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. There is also the Dr. Jane Goodall Inspiring Women doll, which was made in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute. The doll is made from recycled ocean-bound plastic and is a certified CarbonNeutral® product, and comes in plastic-free packaging, all of which contributed towards it being included among the TIME Magazine Best Inventions of 2022.

Furthermore, the Matchbox Tesla Roadster is the first die-cast vehicle made from 99% recycled materials and certified as a CarbonNeutral® product. Lastly, Mega Bloks Green Town is a new line of building bricks in which the blocks and pieces are made from a mix of plant-based materials (plastic made from ethanol extracted from sugar cane) and International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)-certified bio-circular plastics (using a mass balance approach), and the building sets encourage sustainability-related play patterns through themes such as recycling, regenerative farming and ocean clean-ups.

Matchbox’s award winning “Driving Towards a Better Future” program has approached sustainability holistically throughout the whole brand, with increased use of more sustainable materials for products and packaging including using at least 40% ISCC-certified bio-circular plastic (using the mass balance approach) for Matchbox Action Drivers playsets.

We look forward to keeping on challenging ourselves to innovate as we continue to work hard to achieve our sustainability goals.

Thank you so much for your support of SiLC this year – why is this an important event for you guys to support? What does licensing industry sustainability mean to you? 

Thank you for inviting me back – the 2022 event was really inspiring, and I’m very happy to be here for this year’s event!

The conference showcases great insights and examples of best practice that we can take away and use in our work integrating sustainability into Mattel’s licensing and product development processes. This is very useful when continuing down the path of sustainable toys, as we learn new ways to make our products more circular, which is increasingly important to environmentally conscious consumers.

Secondly, it is crucial that we as a company stay up to date on sustainability trends and upcoming regulations. Attending SILC gives us the opportunity to not just share Mattel’s experiences, but also hear different perspectives from experts from other industries which allows us to broaden our understanding of evolving regulatory requirements related to sustainability, which will directly impact the toy industry.

The incredible line-up of panellists and presentations provides educational insights into how we might be able to work towards reducing the environmental footprint of the toy industry, which can be invaluable in making informed business decisions for Mattel.

Furthermore, SILC serves as a great networking platform, where we can connect with other companies, organizations, and experts in the field of sustainability, which could lead to collaboration opportunities, such as partnering with sustainability-focused licensing brands. Exposure to sustainable licensing initiatives, insights on consumer trends and success stories from other companies can inspire innovation within Mattel, leading to the development of more circular products and licensing partnerships.

As I previously mentioned, sustainability isn’t just a short-term trend; it’s becoming a fundamental aspect of business operations. By actively participating in events like this conference, Mattel EMEA can remain on track with our sustainability goals and contribute to a long-term change within the industry as a whole.

What do you think 2024 has in store for industry sustainability? What’s next on the agenda for Mattel when it comes to sustainable development? 

It’s difficult to be able to predict specifically what will happen in such a dynamic area, but overall, 2024 is likely to see an evolution of the toy industry’s sustainability efforts driven by consumer demand, regulatory changes, and a growing commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Companies will need to continue to adapt and innovate in response to these factors, striving to create toys that are not only entertaining but also align with the values of sustainability.

Mattel is exploring a variety of new circular economy and business model innovations to extend product life and keep products and materials in use longer through resource recovery. While we build our products to be durable so they can be handed down or shared for further use, we also offer certain services to extend the life of our toys.

For example, the Mattel Playback program helps keep valuable materials in circulation and out of landfills. We design toys to be loved, cherished, and passed on from one generation to the next, and we aim to make them from materials that can live on in new ways. We also believe that parents should have guilt-free solutions for toys that have reached the end of their useful life – through Playback, they can send these back to Mattel and we will make sure that the materials are recycled and given a new life.

What can we expect to see from Mattel in the coming year?

We have new sustainable products coming across our brands in 2024 – watch this space!

In addition to our Sustainability strategy and goals, it’s important to note that the toy industry is subject to some of the most stringent safety measures in the world, where for good reasons, toys have more additional product safety regulation at state, national and regional levels than most consumer products.

Our Global Quality, Product Safety & Regulatory Team works hard to balance these safety and quality requirements with the increased drive towards sustainability and are constantly adapting and innovating our quality control processes across a product’s whole life cycle to make sure that Mattel toys stay safe and sustainable!