Barbie's Rainforest Ordeal

As part of its portfolio of global campaigns to persuade the world to conserve important but threatened ecosystems, the environmental giant Greenpeace has lambasted Mattel, maker of Barbie dolls and the biggest toy maker in the world, for allegedly using Indonesian rainforest wood products in its packaging.

The sophisticated and coordinated attack on Mattel has combined social media battle tactics along with high-profile publicity stunts on the ground. Firstly, a tongue-in-cheek video was launched depicting Ken falling out with Barbie over her alleged couldn't-care-less attitude towards tropical rainforests. This prompted Mattel to issue a statement claiming that: "playing responsibly has long been an important part of Mattel's business practices."

While the battle spread out onto the arid plains of Twitter, in the heart of London, Greenpeace unfurled a massive banner showing Ken, frowning and saying:"Barbie, you're dumped: Girls that threaten furry animals make me sick."

The same day, Mattel posted another statement on its corporate Facebook page, claiming: "Mattel does not support deforestation nor does it contract directly with Sinar Mas/APP. We purchase packaging materials from a variety of suppliers and it is not the normal course of business to dictate where suppliers source materials. That said, we have directed our packaging suppliers to stop sourcing pulp from Sinar Mas/APP as we investigate the deforestation allegations. Additionally, we have asked our packaging suppliers to clarify how they are addressing the broader issue I their own supply chains."

Source: www.latimes.com

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