Press release – 7 June, 20118 June 2011: Barbie, the most famous toy in the world, is involved in rainforest destruction, a Greenpeace International investigation can today reveal.

Packaging for the doll is produced using timber from the rainforests of Indonesia, home to critically endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger.Tests proved Barbie’s packaging here in Australia contains rainforest pulp.
Greenpeace investigators used forensic testing to reveal that Barbie’s packaging comes from the Indonesian rainforests. They also used a combination of ‘in country’ investigation, mapping data and company certificates to show that Mattel, the maker of Barbie, along with other toy companies including Disney, are using packaging produced by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). APP has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests to make products such as packaging.
Greenpeace activists, dressed in tuxedos to mimic Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, have scaled Mattel’s Los Angeles HQ with a giant banner which reads: “Barbie: It’s Over. I Don’t Date Girls That Are Into Deforestation.
The activity in Los Angeles marks the start of a worldwide Greenpeace campaign to stop toy companies driving deforestation in Indonesia. In Australia, Greenpeace is participating with Facebook activities (
http://on.fb.me/kenbreakup
) and the YouTube video which can be seen at
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/barbie
.
Greenpeace investigators used forensic testing to reveal that Barbie’s packaging comes from the Indonesian rainforests. They also used a combination of ‘in country’ investigation, mapping data and traced company certificates to show that Mattel, the makers of Barbie, along with other toy companies including Disney, are using packaging produced by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). APP has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests to make products such as packaging.
Reece Turner, forests campaigner for Greenpeace Australia, said:
“Barbie is trashing rainforests and pushing critically endangered wildlife, like tigers, towards extinction. Barbie might be a fashionista, but wrapping herself in rainforest destruction and the death of Sumatran tigers is not pretty.
“Mattel must stop buying packaging from APP, a notorious rainforest destroyer which has been exposed many times for wrecking Indonesia’s rainforests to make throw-away packaging.”
Bustar Maitar, head of Greenpeace’s campaign to save the forests in Indonesia, said:
“APP is bad news for Indonesia’s forests. It treats Indonesia as nothing more than a vast disposable asset, grabbing rainforests that are vital to forest communities. Mattel, and other toy companies like Disney, have a responsibility to support clean, low carbon development. They should drop APP right now and instead support responsible Indonesian producers.”
Indonesia has one of the fastest rates of forest destruction in the world with  more than one million hectares of rainforests  cleared every year according to Indonesian government estimates. This has made Indonesia the world’s third highest emitter of carbon pollution after the US and China.
ENDS
A full dossier outlining the role of APP and Barbie in rainforest destruction is available at
www.greenpeace.org/app-toying-with-extinction
.
Contact: Rosanne Bersten, 0402 148 489