El Segundo, Calif. – December 21, 2015 – Mattel today announced a significant update to its Global Manufacturing Principles (GMP), a comprehensive set of standards – first established in 1997 – for labor practices, workplace health and safety and environment stewardship, at the company’s manufacturing plants worldwide.

Now called Responsible Supply Chain Standards, this update reaffirms Mattel’s commitment to best-in-class social, environmental and economic practices at all of its locations, and continues in the spirit of leading the industry in promoting human rights, protecting the environment and delivering high-quality products consumers trust.

“While Mattel has had its citizenship programs in place for many years, we are excited to re-launch the program as the Responsible Supply Chain Standards and continue to play our part in delivering on the needs of our customers, communities, shareholders and employees. We look forward to sharing the results of our efforts with the world,” said Edena Low, Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

In addition to broadening its protection to cover anyone who works for Mattel in any capacity, the Responsible Supply Chain Standards reflect the most recent industry trends, as a minimum meet guidelines and practices, set a new bar for health and safety and for the first time, include an ethical code of conduct. The standards also address working conditions in facilities where Mattel-branded products are produced, and include clearer requirements for Mattel’s suppliers, to ensure they also provide appropriate protection to employees. As a global leader in the toy industry and due to regulatory developments worldwide, Mattel felt such changes were necessary.

“For years the GMP has been a fundamental component of the workplace culture at Mattel,” explains Ms. Low. “However, we felt we had an opportunity to renew our focus on the health and safety of our employees. By revising and enhancing our standards, we have been able to better align them with our purpose and values and what we value most is the safe and fair treatment of our employees.”

Examples of areas where standards were strengthened include:

  • Protections against Non-consensual Labor, including provisions for students, juveniles, dispatch and foreign workers.

  • Fire and Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, with advanced proactive safety measures to help keep workers secure and protected

  • Energy Management, including an enhanced commitment to energy efficiency, to help reduce Mattel’s environmental impact

  • Capability Building Programs, to help CSR/EHS managers better identify and effectively remediate labor, health and safety and environmental protection issues on their own.

  • Safety and Training, including traditional and updated safety initiatives, and a firm commitment from Mattel employees, management and front line staff to practice safety first, last and always.

“Mattel’s commitment to safety excellence means that we must always look forward. As a result, Mattel has taken steps toward attaining the highest workplace safety standards in any industry,” said Ms. Low. “While in the past we relied mainly on audits, as part of the new Responsible Supply Chain efforts, we will be focusing on developing stronger partnerships with our vendors and supply chain partners to build capacity and secure their commitment to enhance health and safety performance.”

Mattel is committed to implementing its Responsible Supply Chain Standards throughout the Mattel supply chain system as well as regularly assessing and publicly disclosing its progress. To learn more about Mattel’s Responsible Supply Chain Standards, please visit

About Mattel

The Mattel family of companies is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. Mattel's portfolio of best-selling brands includes Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever produced, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, Fisher-Price® brands and MEGA® Brands, as well as a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. In 2014, Mattel was named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by Ethisphere Magazine and in 2014 ranked No. 5 on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel's companies employ approximately 31,000 people in 40 countries and territories and sell products in more than 150 nations. Visit us at www.mattel.com, www.facebook.com/mattel or www.twitter.com/mattel.



Related Reads

comments powered by Disqus