Green Options

Mattel. The name is no longer only synonymous with Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Polly Pocket. Now when you hear “Mattel”, it’s flashback time: to lead-laden, choketastic toys.

When the Consumer Products Safety Commission was charged with implementing the new CPSIA, designed to make toys safer, fans of handcrafted goods worried: would we still be able to get our beloved natural toys? After all, toy testing for lead and phthalates has a price tag attached that is harder on the small business owner than it is on corporate giants like Mattel.

Turns out, it’s especially easy for Mattel, as the toy manufacturer gets to use “independent” in-house testing instead of submitting its toys to third-party testing like everyone else, as the AP reports,

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, and quietly, granted Mattel’s request to use its own labs for testing.

Although I’d love to not be too cynical on this, guess what? Coincidentally, Mattel spent $1 million last year in lobbying costs.

 Between September 2006 and August 2007, Mattel imported almost 900,000 toys that violated rules on lead levels. Their subsidary Fisher-Price imported as many as 1.1 million.

Now the corporation is paying the price. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commision, the $2.3 million fine is the highest levied against a toy company. Thomas Moore, the acting commision chair, said,

This penalty should serve notice to toymakers that CPSC is committed to the safety of children, to reducing their exposure to lead and to the implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

As we all full well remember, the lead recalls caused panic among parents. Mattel’s negligence in manufacturing had the collective consumer culture in the States pointing a big fat finger at China as the cause of problems.

But it’s not only China.

Recently I was given a Thumbelina doll and DVD to review.

The DVD is lovely, it’s a great story, a classic even. Thumbelina is a fairy that lives in harmony with nature. If you have a little girl, you already know that they love faeries, and glitter, and shiny things. Some folks hate Barbie, I think she’s the ultimate feminist. She’s had almost 100 jobs, and done them all with grace.

Thumbelina is the classic tale of even the tiniest person making a difference. In this DVD Thumbelina lives in the forest, in harmony with nature. Thumbelina is instrumental in keeping the Twillerbees’ home from being demolished.

Who doesn’t love a story that kids can apply to the headlines? Overdevelopment is a very real issue in our world and if our kids have a heightened awareness of it, perhaps they will opt against it in twenty years when they have the checkbooks.

It’s a great story, much along the lines of Hoot, only it’s a magical fantasy. The Thumbelina doll that I was given to review opens up into a flower when you press a button. It’s very simple and reminds of the Barbie’s I used to play with. I love that the doll is packaged in matte recycled cardboard, but I’m sure that Thumbelina’s curviness and a short dress will not delight some. The movie is far less seductive than the doll, but still if you are wildly protective of your daughter’s modesty this is not the toy for you.

I’m outraged.  Mattel has announced that they will be supplement the preschool Dora line with a tween doll. The new doll will sport a thin body, long hair and fashionable clothing. (Mattel will be keeping the doll secret until launch this Fall.)

“As tweenage Dora, our heroine has moved to the big city, attends middle school and has a whole new fashionable look,” Mattel said in a press release.  Is this necessary, really?  Evidently it is if corporate America is going to hold onto our childrens attention past age eight.

“The doll really taps into a tween’s love of fashion and empowers girls to influence and change the ‘lives’ of Dora and her friends”… Oh, and comes with a retail price of $59.99, because growing up means spending more money.  Of course, there will be accessories available as well… because we are playing into (or rather, creating as consumerism always has) a tweenage girls love of fashion and thus, creating a larger consumer base.

My husband fully believes that girls products are significantly more expensive than their male counter parts because our society is busy training females to spend more.  I notice these price discrepancies any time we go into a clothing store for the kids.

We’ve all heard about the greening efforts of some pretty big companies, including GE and WalMart. But what’s behind the press releases and green logos? Though some corporate efforts may be greenwashing, many companies, both large and small, are making solid verifiable moves toward sustainability.

A panel held at UCLA this month, dedicated to sustainability in business, put this issue in the spotlight and revealed some useful information for companies looking to reduce their footprints. A few key points:

If you are like me, you are tired of hearing about toy recalls and the gross failures of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect our children; however, I feel it is important to stay updated on the information for my children’s sakes.  Recent news on the Thomas the Tank Engine recall settlement, Mattel’s refusal to recall lead-tainted toys,  and the impotent CPSC demonstrate that the problem of toy safety and international manufacturing has not gone away.

The Impotent CPSC

I have written many posts on the CPSC’s failures.  Now, for the second time in a year, the agency will become useless, as it loses its quorum.  The CPSC requires three members on the panel; however, only two members are currently holding positions. The extension granted by Congress to operate with only two members expired in January.  According to the Washington Post,

Congress has not passed another one, and the Bush administration has not nominated a new chairman who could restore quorum since its last pick, industry lobbyist Michael E. Baroody, withdrew his name in May after protest by Senate Democrats and consumer groups.

Of course, the agency can still oversee voluntary recalls, but they can no longer issue mandatory recalls or impose civil penalties.   What a relief…I feel so protected!