Hasbro is phasing out plastic packaging for toys and games
Do you love getting your kids a new toy or game, but hate all the plastic you have to get through to open the darned thing? Well, parents, one toy company finally decided to do something about it, and it will not only soothe our frayed nerves but also be better for the planet.
The Hasbro Toy Company, known for its classic toys and games such as Nerf, Monopoly and My Little Pony, announced it will begin phasing out plastic from its new product packaging in 2020.
“Removing plastic from our packaging is the latest advancement in our more than decade-long journey to create a more sustainable future for our business and our world,” Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said in a press release. “We have an experienced, cross-functional team in place to manage the complexity of this undertaking and will look to actively engage employees, customers, and partners as we continue to innovate and drive progress as a leader in sustainability.”
Hasbro announced the initiative on Twitter:
We are proud to announce that we will be phasing out plastic from new toy and game packaging, beginning in 2020. Learn more: https://t.co/ng82EFEHIO #Sustainability pic.twitter.com/O5z4MCCSA8
— Hasbro (@Hasbro) August 20, 2019
According to Hasbro, the company plans to get rid of all “plastic elements like polybags, elastic bands, shrink wrap, window sheets, and blister packs.” This means your days of trying to cut into the hard plastic shells that many of your child’s favorite toys come in are numbered. (I think most parents have cut their hands on at least one of those.) And no more of that plastic shrink-wrap around new games, either.
Plastic is starting to show up everywhere. It’s even in our rainwater. But a lot of big corporations are getting greener, as is Hasbro, which set environmental sustainability goals back in 2010. The company started by ditching the dreaded plastic wire ties inside toy boxes and creating recyclable product labels.
Hasbro also has a Toy Recycling Program that lets families send used Hasbro toys and games to product recycler TerraCycle for free. TerraCycle recycles the toys into materials to be used in the construction of play spaces, flower pots, park benches and other uses.
We’re glad to see Hasbro getting greener and saving us the trouble of busting through that plastic packaging!