Matchbox launches carbon neutral die-cast cars

Matchbox has unveiled a scaled die-cast Tesla Roadster toy car made from 99 per cent recycled materials and made through a carbon neutral production process.

The toy Tesla is made from 62.1 per cent recycled zinc and 36.9 per cent recycled plastic, consisting of just one per cent non-recycled stainless steel. It will be on sale from 2022 and come in zero-plastic packaging made from paper and wood fibre.

It’s part of a plan of action for Matchbox to sell more environmentally friendly toy cars - quite literally. It is starting by launching a pack of die-cast electric and hybrid cars before the end of spring 2021. The pack will include toy models of the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius, as well as the BMW i3 and i8, and the packaging will feature a paper foam inner tray.

Then, in the autumn, Matchbox will launch a fuel station playset and a garage playset, both of which will feature EV charging stations. The aim of these sets is to raise “environmental consciousness” among children.

Matchbox’s parent company Mattel plans to use 100 per cent recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in the manufacturing of all its products and packaging by 2030.

Matchbox is also promoting recycling and eco-friendly waste recovery – all of the electronics in its products have been consolidated into a single, removable module to make this process easier. Products are also labelled with guides on how to properly dispose of the packaging materials.

In addition, the brand is looking for ways to reduce energy use, carbon emissions and waste in its operations and production as much as possible without impacting product quality.

Roberto Stanichi, global head of vehicles at Mattel, said the move would “empower the next generation of Matchbox fans to help steer us towards a sustainable future”.

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