Independent media needs you. Join the Tyee.

Blogs

The Hook: Political news, freshly caught

Barbie's carbon footprint: 3 cups of oil

Mattel uses 3.2 cups of oil to make, package and ship a single Barbie doll, according a study by students at the California College of the Arts.

A web site called Tiny Green Bubble summed up the CCA report this way:

This holiday season, for better or worse, millions of little girls will ask for (and get) a Barbie doll for Christmas. Let’s, for the moment, put aside all debate about the message that Barbie and her crew (and her really, really cool car) send to little girls and talk instead about the raw number of the carbon footprint of a Barbie doll. It may not talk you out of buying the Barbie and her Dream House set that the little girl in your life is dreaming of this holiday season, but it may cause you to think about it twice!

The post dished the deets on Barbie’s (chemical) makeup:

What goes into a Barbie doll? Here’s the breakdown. First, Saudi-sourced oil is shipped to Taiwan where it’s refined and converted into plastic pellets. Those plastic pellets are then melted down and used to create the Polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastisol head of your favorite Barbie doll. The liquid PVC is poured into American made injection molds (shipped) and then made pretty with Japanese-made nylon hair (shipped) and then U.S. made paint pigments (shipped). Where are all of those items shipped to? All the way to Chinese factory assembly lines.

Then there’s Barbie’s body. It’s made from high impact Acrylobutadienestyrene (ABS) plastic – except for her perfect waist which is made of soft plastic elastomer. Needless to say, both release many harmful chemical compounds into the air. How harmful? Some are actually known carcinogens that have been documented as having sickened hundreds of Mattel factory workers over the years with dizziness, hair/memory loss and nausea.

Monte Paulsen is fretting over the carbon footprint of a Zhu Zhu Pet.

Find more in:

What have we missed? What do you think? We want to know. Comment below. Keep in mind:

Do:

  • Verify facts, debunk rumours
  • Add context and background
  • Spot typos and logical fallacies
  • Highlight reporting blind spots
  • Ignore trolls
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity
  • Connect with each other

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist or homophobic language
  • Libel or defame
  • Bully or troll
  • Troll patrol. Instead, flag suspect activity.
comments powered by Disqus