Fisher-Price Joins Mattel Playback Program

Mattel has expanded its Mattel PlayBack program to include Fisher-Price toys. The program was designed to recover and reuse materials from old Mattel toys in future Mattel products, keep materials out of landfills and supports the company’s goal to get 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in its products and packaging by 2030. 

Fisher-Price joins Barbie, MEGA and Matchbox brands in the toy takeback initiative, which enables families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they are finished playing with them. 

“The Mattel PlayBack program has been eagerly received by consumers and has provided tremendous learning specific to the durability and disassembly of our products, which will aid in the future design of products made for the circular economy,” says Pamela Gill-Alabaster, senior vice president, global head, sustainability and social impact, Mattel. “We are also exploring new technologies in plastic processing and recycling, with our longer-term goal to use materials collected through Mattel PlayBack in future toy production.”  

Mattel celebrates Mattel PlayBack program’s anniversary this summer, which will now include non-electronic Fisher-Price toys including Laugh & Learn, Little People, Imaginext brand and more.  

“At Fisher-Price, we design toys to be loved, cherished and passed on from one generation to the next,” says Chuck Scothon, senior vice president, general manager, Fisher-Price Infant and Preschool. “The Mattel PlayBack program, aimed at repurposing these materials into new products and helping the environment, now provides parents and caregivers the opportunity to give these beloved Fisher-Price toys a new lease on life.” 

To participate in the Mattel PlayBack program, consumers can visit Mattel.com/PlayBack, print a free shipping label and pack and mail their outgrown Mattel toys back to Mattel. The toys collected will be sorted and separated by material type and responsibly processed and recycled. For materials that cannot be repurposed as recycled content into new toys, Mattel will either downcycle those materials into other plastic products or convert them from waste to energy. 

The Mattel PlayBack program supports Mattel’s product stewardship and circular design principles, and the expansion of the program adds to a growing list of product launches and corporate initiatives that ladder up to Mattel’s ESG strategy and goals and support the company’s aim to contribute to a more diverse, equitable, inclusive and sustainable future.