This summer devastating news has shattered the toy world :
BARBIE IS A SERIAL KILLER !!!!!!!!!!OK, that was a bit dramatic. However, for years, apparently, Barbie has indirectly attacked and killed huge segments of Indonesian rainforests. An investigation by Greenpeace had established a link between Mattel, the parent company of the peroxide blond bombshell, and the Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) company which supplies Mattel with the paper used to package the world's best-selling toy.
APP have long been accused of bad practice and a lack of a sense of environmental responsibility which has caused the destruction of forests - this information has been freely available for years. Surely Mattel Inc; a well established company (over 50 years) with nigh on 30,000 employees and and annual turnover of approximately $5 billion would be aware of the reputation of one of their major suppliers?
You'd think!
It was left to Greenpeace to break the news to chest-waxing boutique owner Ken, Barbie's long-term on-off boyfriend, who was so distressed and heart broken to hear that his beloved is a mass murderer that he dumped her.
Unfortunately, Barbie is not the only toy accused of these heinous crimes. Other manufacturers such as Lego, Hasbro and Disney were also guilty of the massacre!
Mattel quickly announced a committment to change its paper and cardboard procurement policy. However, as Greenpeace reported, Mattel's rather wishy-washy statement failed to set an approximate date for the implementation of these changes.
Lego also announced a change in procurement policy and was more specific than Mattel. Lego will stop buying from APP immediately! Lego also made two further progressive promises : to reduce the amount of packaging to a minimum and to use recycled materials where possible. Further, when recycled materials are not suitable Lego promises to use paper or cardboard approved by the Forest Stewardship Council an NGO established in 1993 to promote the responsible management of the world's forests.
Lego also designed some special Lego Trees - see photo below.