By Kelly Tyko
Mattel PlayBack will recover and reuse the materials from the old toys that families send to the company for future Mattel products.
There's no cost for consumers to participate, and the recycling program will initially accept Barbie, Matchbox and Mega toys. Other Mattel brands are likely to be added.
"Mattel toys are made to last and be passed on from generation to generation," Mattel President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson said in a statement.
The company is innovating by finding sustainable solutions.
For materials that cannot be repurposed as recycled content in new toys, Mattel said it will either downcycle them or convert them from waste to energy.
Pamela Gill Alabaster, Mattel global head of sustainability, said the program is one step the company is "taking to address the growing global waste challenge."
The company's goal is to use 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all products and packaging by 2030.
Last year, Mattel introduced several toys as part of this, including two Fisher-Price products – Rock-a-Stack and Baby’s First Blocks – and three Mega Bloks sets made from bio-based plastics.