Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
With around 60 million dolls sold each year, Mattel processes a significant amount of plastic, generating waste and greenhouse gas emissions that could amount to around 39,000 tCO2e per year. This is the estimate made by the CO2 emissions calculation application Greenly.
The platform looked at the carbon footprint of the famous Mattel doll, currently in the spotlight with the film “Barbie”, which landed on screens in France and the United States in mid-July.
39,000 tons of CO2… Barbie smells greenhouse gas
To arrive at this estimate, Greenly relied on an American study published in 2022. The study in question looked at a small subset of children’s toys, including the Barbie doll, three Lego models (Star Wars, Batgirl and Cat Woman), a Jenga game, stuffed dogs (including one with batteries), as well as a Marble Frenzy game. “Each of these toys represented significant sales in their industry or were a sample of a larger toy category“, says the study. According to the research, a 180g Barbie doll would emit 648 gCO2e over its entire life cycle. For comparison, Lego Cat Woman have a carbon footprint of 755g CO2e, dogs stuffed animals (with or without batteries) of 622gCO2e and Lego Star Wars of 537 CO2e.
With around 60 million Barbie dolls sold each year, this corresponds to 39,000 tCO2e, so calculates Greenly. The study also states that 92% of American girls aged 3 to 12 own an average of 12 Barbies. Since its birth in 1959, more than a billion Barbies have therefore been sold throughout the world. “This figure does not take into account the entire Barbie universe and its derivative products: clothes, cars, motorhomes, planes, houses, and other plastic toys“, specifies the survey carried out by Greenly.
Mattel’s green shift
In recent years, Mattel has communicated around its desire to go green. The manufacturer had struck a blow in 2021 with its “Barbie loves the ocean” collection (the bodies of these dolls were made from recycled plastic), as well as with its “Mattel PlayBack” campaign, a recycling operation of toys launched in five countries (Germany, Canada, United States, France and United Kingdom). Initiatives, however, far from sufficient from the point of view of Greenly: “Mattel said in 2021 in its report “citizenship having emitted 177,000 tCO2e. However, this figure excludes all indirect emissions, which correspond to 80% of a company’s emissions.“, points out the investigation.
The Barbie Liberation Organization Hoax
“While the new Barbie movie makes a good case for overturning values previously associated with the plastic doll, namely the fight against patriarchy and associated prejudices, it’s still an ode to overconsumption. Apparently, in the world of Barbie, climate change does not exist either“, comments Alexis Normand, co-founder of Greenly.
A reproach also issued by the “Barbie Liberation Organization”, a group of activists who elaborated in the United States a hoax around the famous doll, going so far as to trap press titles in the United States. This “liberation front” announced in a false press release, supposedly from Mattel, the maker of Barbie, the end of the use of plastic by 2030 and the launch of a new doll, the ‘Eco Warrior. This model would be made from biodegradable materials, such as mushroom or hemp. This false ad had even gone so far as to include actress Daryl Hannah, known for her ecological commitment, in its promotion.