Barbie Drops Deforestation, Hopes to Win Ken’s Heart Back

One famous couple that we would have never picture breaking up was Barbie and Ken, so when that eventually happened, a few months back, we knew it had to be serious. We were later given to know the reason behind the shocking break-up: Barbie had destroyed rainforest in her toy packaging.

Ken found out that Barbie manufacturer Mattel was using products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a pulp and paper company known for destroying Indonesian rainforests, including the habitat of the endangered Sumatran tiger.

That was when Ken, backed by Greenpeace activists, took a stand to end rainforest destruction.

It took just a public Twitter feud between the former couple, a Facebook campaign, a humorous stunt at the Mattel HQ in L.A., and over 500,000 e-mails sent by environmentalists to Mattel, and the company finally gave up.

Mattel has finally decided to put an end to the harmful deforestation, ending the couple’s drama and giving Barbie the chance to win Ken back.

Hopefully, their love is as stronger as our love for the environment is. So far, the hostilities between the two have ceased, so things might get back to normal.

According to Greenpeace, Mattel has instructed its suppliers to avoid wood fiber from controversial sources, including companies “that are known to be involved in deforestation”.

Their policy also aims to increase the amount of recycled paper used in their business, as well as to boost the use of wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

"We are committed to advancing the use of sustainably sourced paper and wood fiber across our business, beginning with packaging,” said Lisa Marie Bongiovanni, vice president corporate affairs at Mattel, who also oversees the company’s sustainability initiatives.

“In developing these sourcing principles and setting goals, we applied a thoughtful and rigorous approach in evaluating our supply chain and identifying meaningful opportunities for continuous improvement,” she added.

Other companies that have also committed to take action against against deforestation include Nestle, Unilever and Carrefour.

But Greenpeace’s work does not end here. The organization continues to fight against Asia Pulp and Paper, who still refuses to change its practices. Greenpeace is thus sending ‘tiger’s eye’ activists in a tour documenting continued forest destruction by APP.