Ken dumps Barbie for Greenpeace

The environmental group which is known for championing its causes via communication and advertising campaigns is calling Mattel to task for allegedly "wrapping the world's most famous toy in rainforest destruction".

According to Greenpeace, the packaging used in Barbie and Ken boxes contained products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a subsidiary of Sinar Mas, which the envrionmental group claims is a "destroyer of Indonesia's rainforests".

The campaign was launched on 6 June and has since garnered close to 160,000 views on YouTube and 855,000 likes on Facebook. So far, the website claims 13,000 people have written to Mattel's CEO, Bob Eckert, urging him to "dump" APP. Greenpeace is targeting 50,000 such requests.

On late Wednesday evening, Mattel asserted on its corporate Facebook page that the toy manufacturer does not contract directly with Sinar Mas or 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 in their own supply chains," said the post.

According to the LA Times, Greenpeace intends to continue its campaign until Mattel declares a zero-deforestation policy.

APP told Agence France-Presse that it was shocked at the accusations. "I was quite shocked that they attacked us. We are proud to use recycled paper and we are trying to promote the use of recycled paper," APP managing director for sustainability Aida Greenbury said.