Ken has picked up the phone. And now we’d like you to drop Mattel a call too.
It’s been nearly a month now since Barbie’s secret deforestation habit was revealed to Ken in a shocking interview that has now been seen by over 1.3 million people around the world and counting. The interview not only brought about the end of Ken and Barbie’s high profile relationship, but sparked protest of Mattel’s use of paper products in toy packaging that comes from rainforest destruction in Indonesia. The results have been over 240,000 messages sent to the toy company, demanding they act to fix this problem for good, and a bitter Twitter feud between the former celebrity couple.
Just like you – Ken has been wondering when and how Mattel will finally take concrete action to solve this problem. It’s become his obsession on Facebook and Twitter, and now he’s picked up the phone and given Mattel a call.
Phone calls from as many of us as possible will make it clear that there are a lot of people still waiting to hear how Mattel plans to fix the deforestation problem in their supply chains. Within 24 hours of Barbie’s scandalous habit becoming worldwide news, they issued a statement promising investigations of how they could remove products coming from notorious forest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) from their supply chains.
But since then they’ve been silent on how they will actually implement the changes necessary to ensure that their toys no longer come wrapped in rainforest destruction. A phone call will let Mattel know that we are all still expecting action from them. As Ken himself said: the executives at Mattel said they were going to make changes and now we want to know if – and how – it’s happening.
Ready to give Mattel a quick call and ask a few polite questions?
Step 1: Call Mattel’s customer service line at 1-800-524-8697. You’ll need to Press 1 (for English), Press 3 (to speak with a represetnative) and then press 2. If you’re put on hold, don’t worry, it won’t last long.
Step 2: When you reach a representative. Here’s a suggestion of a few things you could say to Mattel:
“I’m calling you today about Mattel’s use of products that come from destroyed rainforests.
I have already e-mailed you about your use of paper products coming from destroyed forests and peatlands.
I don’t think it is acceptable for a toy company like Mattel to use any products that come from destroyed forests.
I’ve already seen the latest public statements in which Mattel realizes it has a major deforestation problem and promises to investigate how it could remove deforestation from its supply chains.
I’m asking that you make public your plans for when and how you will implement this policy. I would like to be assured that this is actually happening. And I also ask that you immediately stop using APP products.
It would be good to see that the world’s largest toy company is going to show leadership here. I would appreciate a response to my concerns.
Please ensure that my concerns are passed on to your CEO Mr. Robert Eckert. I’d like him to take action on the points I’ve just mentioned.“
Step 3: Tell us how your phone call to Mattel went on Facebook or by leaving a comment on this blog post.
(Disclaimer: the above phone call to Mattel was edited for length – you can find the original uncut recording of the call here.)
