Toy giant Hasbro has announced plans to phase out plastic packaging within the next three years. This is a major environmental step for a company that creates so much plastic waste, but is it enough?

Hasbro is one of the biggest toy companies worldwide. Toy companies churn out a huge portion of the world's plastic waste. The toys themselves are made primarily of plastic, but it is the packaging that creates so much waste for no real reason.

In case you are wondering why plastic waste is such a big deal, listen to this. One million marine animals suffer plastic-related deaths each year. That devastating statistic should be enough, but plastic actually affects our world in other ways too.

Phasing out plastic packaging is one of the biggest ways a toy company can address environmental issues. Hasbro is making changes in the right direction, but they will need to do more over time.

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Hasbro has announced that it will do away with all plastic packaging in its products by the year 2020. So when birthdays or holidays arrive, you can ditch at least some of your guilt. But hold on to some of it, because the toy industry has a long way to go if it really wants to reduce its environmental impact.

Hasbro is definitely doing a few things we approve of. Along with ditching the plastic packaging, the toy giant also started a toy recycling partnership. The first of its kind, this program allows parents to pack up a box of toys, both Habro and not, to send back for recycling. The toys are converted to plastic pellets which are used to make a variety of products like park benches and playground equipment.

The only problem is, most toys are made of mixed materials so they cannot be recycled without the use of a company like Terracycle. Furthermore, it would really be best for the environment for Hasbro to start using other materials to make toys.

We are happy that Hasbro is making steps in the right direction, and we hope to see them continue.

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