Barbie has released its first dolls made almost entirely of recycled plastic that was headed for the ocean
- Mattel has launched a collection of Barbie dolls made from ocean-bound, recycled plastic.
- "Barbie Loves the Ocean" includes three dolls and accessory sets made from 90% recycled plastic.
- Mattel, the parent company of Barbie, says it plans to make its products sustainable by 2030.
A new collection of Barbie dolls is made out of plastic that was bound for the ocean.
On Thursday, the toy company Mattel launched "Barbie Loves the Ocean," its first collection of Barbies with bodies made from 90% recycled plastic. The dolls, dressed in beachwear, are available for $10 on Mattel's website.
The collection also includes three beach-themed accessory sets made from 90% recycled plastic that range in price from $10 to $20.
Mattel will source the plastic from "within 50km of waterways in areas lacking formal waste collection systems," according to a press release from the company obtained by Insider.
"Barbie Loves the Ocean is a prime example of sustainable innovations we'll make as part of creating a future environment where kids can thrive," Lisa McKnight, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls at Mattel, said in a statement obtained by Insider.
Along with the new "Barbie Loves the Ocean" dolls and play sets, Mattel has released an educational video on Barbie's YouTube channel called "Barbie Shares How We Can All Protect the Planet" that shares lessons on how to care for the planet.
The new Barbie line and video are part of "Mattel's goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all its products and packaging by 2030," the company said in a release.
Barbie Loves the Ocean isn't the first sustainable initiative Mattel has announced. In May, the company launched a program called "Mattel Playback" that allows people to send Mattel their old Barbies and toys so that they can be remade into new ones.
Mattel's initiatives are part of the toy industry's shift toward sustainability.
As Insider previously reported, the building-blocks brand Lego aims to manufacture the majority of its products using sustainable sugarcane by 2030. Hasbro, the company that manufactures games and toys like Monopoly and My Little Pony, plans to eliminate plastic packaging by 2022, according to a press release.