Melissa & Doug, First Global Toy Brand to Be 100% Carbon Neutral in Its Own Operations, Expands on Its Carbon Plan on Zero Emissions Day

The brand maintains carbon neutrality in its own operations through offsets

WILTON, Conn., Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Melissa & Doug, the #1 preschool brand for sustainable toys and wooden toys¹, announced today that the brand continues to achieve carbon neutrality for its own operations by purchasing offsets for its 2022 emissions. The exciting news continues to celebrate the brand's accomplishments aligned with its Project Restore sustainability initiative announced in 2021.

As part of Project Restore, the purpose-driven toy brand was the first global toy company to become carbon neutral in its own operations. The company purchased offsets from forest management projects in the United States and Brazil for its Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

"We know parents care deeply about the environmental impact of their purchases. Melissa & Doug is committed to making the world a more sustainable place so children can play in a thriving and inclusive environment," said Bridgette Miller, Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer of Melissa & Doug. "Currently, the company is assessing all aspects of the business in which we can reduce our carbon emissions and implement energy efficient practices, ranging from our global distribution centers to our offices and vehicles."

Melissa & Doug's new headquarters in Wilton, Conn., and distribution center in Tracy, Calif., are both fully equipped with high efficiency LED lights with automatic shut off through motion sensors. Meanwhile, its office in the United Kingdom already uses renewable electricity. Its brand-new distribution center in New Jersey is equipped with solar panels to supply the majority of its power needs, uses a fleet of almost all electric forklift trucks, and recycles 95% of its corrugated waste.

Through its efforts with the Forest Stewardship Council  ^® (FSC)² and independent verification authority SCS Global Services , Melissa & Doug  is on track to achieve its commitment to ensure 100% of paper products and more than half of its wood products sold are FSC^® certified by 2025. The company even accelerated that goal by producing all paper and top-selling wood products in 2022 as FSC^® certified.

Earlier this year, Melissa & Doug made the commitment to plant 10 million trees by 2030 through its partnership with One Tree Planted in an effort to create a greener earth for future generations. The toy brand also joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition^® (SPC) and How2Recycle program this year, as part of its goal for 95% of its product packaging to be curbside recyclable by the end of 2025.

Learn more about Project Restore and Melissa & Doug's vision to make timeless, sustainable toys for a thriving and inclusive world at MelissaAndDoug.com/sustainability.

Timeless Toys. Endless Possibilities.^®

From classic wooden toys to crafts and pretend play, Melissa & Doug products provide a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover their passions and their purpose. Recognized by parents as the #1 preschool brand for wooden toys, Melissa & Doug is committed to its vision of making timeless, sustainable toys for a thriving and inclusive world. Melissa & Doug is proudly partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics to foster early brain development and to champion the health benefits of open-ended play through their joint Power of Play alliance.

PRESS CONTACT:

Patricia Sabino

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¹ Source: 360 Market Reach, February 2022
² FSC^® C156584

SOURCE Melissa & Doug