The Mega Bloks bio-based plastic line will be on display at Nuremberg Toy Fair.
Mattel has announced that Mega, the company’s popular construction brand, is launching a new environmentally sustainable, bio-based plastics line. Mega Bloks, will now feature three pre-school building sets – Polar Friends, Safari Friends and Woodland Friends – made of bio-based resins. The building sets have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified packaging that is fully recyclable.
The Mega announcement is the second product that Mattel has introduced as part of its recently announced goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics materials in both its products and packaging by 2030. This new goal expands the Company’s Environmental Sustainable Sourcing Principles that were announced in 2011. The company now sources 93% of the paper and wood fibre used in its packaging and products from recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) content, surpassing its 2018 goal of 90%.
“Environmental sustainability is a corporate priority and we are proud to announce Mega’s first product made from bio-based materials,” said Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel. “Our Mega team is deeply committed to bringing the best products to their loyal consumers and they are driving innovation to do this in the most sustainable way.”
“Creating a more sustainable world is important to our team, our company and our consumers, and our first construction line made completely of bio-based plastics is an example of this,” Bisma Ansari, SVP of Mega, said “Our Bloks are the defining product for the Mega brand, so this next step in innovation allows us to make an impact on the planet by creating high quality, sustainable products we know families love.”
The first retailer to market the line in Europe will be Sainsbury’s Argos in the UK. Argos will launch the new building sets as part of its January 2020 catalogue. Amazon Europe is launching a pre-sale of the product in Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
Andrew Hartley, buying manager for Toys at Sainsbury’s Argos, explained: “We are delighted to be the first UK retailer to offer this innovative product. We know sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for our customers so being able to exclusively launch the new Mega range in the UK is a really exciting step as we continue to respond to consumer demand.”
Mattel has also announced that it is closing its Mega Bloks factory in Montreal’s St-Laurent suburb in a move that will result in job losses for some 580 employees. Production will be shifted to other Mattel facilities in Mexico and China over several months starting in September. The business rationale is to better use the volume and capacity in the wider supply chain and cut costs, the company said.
