Barbie & Disney Causing Deforestation — Greenpeace Protests {3 Videos}

Greenpeace has a new major campaign targeting some key toy companies — Mattel (Barbie maker), Hasbro, and Disney (links take you to PDFs of Greenpeace letters to these companies).

The letters above call on these major toy companies “to immediately act to protect forests in South East Asia and worldwide.”

In particular, Greenpeace asks that this big trio:

  • Suspend all direct purchases of pulp and paper products, including packaging, from APP/Sinar Mas Forestry or any subsidiary or affiliate APP company.
  • Apply this suspension to all direct and indirect suppliers to Hasbro, including products manufactured on Hasbro’s behalf by third parties

Sounds like a good plan/call to action.

Want more on the link between Barbie and rainforest destruction or deforestation? Check out the video above from Greenpeace and make sure not to miss this funny one featuring Ken as well.

Of course, Greenpeace isn’t only making videos and writing letters (and doing a ton of research on the matter). The organization, yesterday, reported:

“Greenpeace activists, dressed in tuxedos to mimic Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, have scaled Mattel’s Los Angeles HQ with a giant banner which reads: ‘Barbie: It’s Over. I Don’t Date Girls That Are Into Deforestation.'”

Barbie also joined in the protest and handed out fliers to Mattel employees while driving around in a bulldozer. Barbie and at least 7 of the Kens were arrested, being charged with conspiracy and trespassing.

The protest lasted about 2-3 hours. For more, watch the video below.

This was the start of a worldwide campaign to stop deforestation in Indonesia’s rainforests related to toys such as Barbie.

“Barbie, the most famous toy in the world, is involved in rainforest destruction, a Greenpeace International investigation can today reveal. Packaging for the doll is produced using timber from the rainforests of Indonesia, home to endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger…. The activity in Los Angeles marks the start of a worldwide Greenpeace campaign to stop toy companies driving deforestation in Indonesia.”

Greenpeace Really Investigated this Matter

As the video at the top of the page shows, Greenpeace did its homework on this matter, big time.

“Greenpeace investigators used forensic testing to reveal that Barbie’s packaging comes from the Indonesian rainforests. They also used a combination of ‘in country’ investigation, mapping data and traced company certificates to show that Mattel, the makers of Barbie, along with other toy companies including Disney, are using packaging produced by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). APP has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests to make products such as packaging.”

“Barbie is trashing rainforests and pushing critically-endangered wildlife, like tigers, towards extinction,” Bustar Maitar, the head of Greenpeace’s campaign to save Indonesian forests said. “This is happening because Barbie’s packaging comes from the rainforests of Indonesia, home to species like the Sumatran tiger.”

For much more on the link between Barbie, Mattel, Disney, and deforestation in Indonesia, check out: Sinar Mas Under Investigation.

More deforestation stories on Planetsave:

  1. Outrage Grows Over New Brazilian Rain Forest Law
  2. Brazilian Government to Crack Down on Deforestation
  3. New Airborne Methods to Measure Deforestation and Forests
  4. 80% of Amazon Deforestation Stems from Cattle Ranching
  5. War and Plague Not as Bad for Climate as Deforestation

4 thoughts on “Barbie & Disney Causing Deforestation — Greenpeace Protests {3 Videos}”

  1. Please check out http://www.rainforestrealities.com for some of the true facts behind this stroy.

    What didn’t get covered is that Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) meets the legal requirements for all countries to which we distribute our products throughout the world. Our packaging materials contain more than 95% of recycled paper sourced from around the world. Less than two percent of the pulp in those carton boxes comes from legal and sustainable Indonesia pulpwood plantations. And the remainder is from PEFC certified forests.

    Ian Lifshitz
    Sustainability & Public Outreach Manager, the Americas
    Asia Pulp & Paper

  2. Wow…really good eco-forensics here…These are important news stories to cover as they ‘connect the dots’ in terms of the consumer supply chain …thanks for pulling back the curtain that separates the consumer from the source of what is consumed.

    Interestingly, Disney has a “go green” and protect the environment PR campaign going on right now using its kid stars. Maybe we’ll see a rebellion from its cute kid work force, or a kid-star-initiated change in Disney’s work contracting policies…

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