Hasbro to go "Virtually Plastic Free" by 2023

[Jeff]

I do commend Hasbro for their green efforts.  I really do like that all of their current packaging is recyclable.

True... but sadly most recycled plastic usually ends up in the trash anyway.

Maybe they're planning on plant based plastics instead of petroleum based plastics?  Like, biodegradable still made out of corn?

In 2018, they started using bioPET plastic that is 30% plant based for bulbbles and windows.  It'll be interesting to see if that is enough or not.  It will also be interesting to see how those bioPET blends hold up over the long haul in collector's homes.  Will all your carded TVC figures from 2018 turn yellow faster than other TVC figures?

[Rob]

In 2018, they started using bioPET plastic that is 30% plant based for bulbbles and windows.  It'll be interesting to see if that is enough or not.  It will also be interesting to see how those bioPET blends hold up over the long haul in collector's homes.  Will all your carded TVC figures from 2018 turn yellow faster than other TVC figures?

One of a dozen reasons why I don't have any carded figures.

[Mister Skeezler]

Yeah, open those things!

[Jesse James]

Yeah, open those things!

Get it out.  Play with it.  Let it breathe.

[Jeff]

Dragging this topic up from the depths to open discussion based on the past couple days on social media.   In case you missed it, the days of having plastic bubbles and plastic insert trays are numbered in Star Wars toy packaging.  From Yak-Face/Jayson:

Burstin the Bubble of Star Wars Collectibles and Collectors

A reminder/history lesson on Hasbro's journey so far:

2013 - switched from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is recyclable in most communities in USA
2016 - switched from new PET to post-consumer recycled PET (rPET)
2019 - switched from rPET to plant-based bio-polyethylene terephthalate (bioPET)
2022 - Introduction of "Virtually Plastic Free*" (*not counting tape or glue) packaging

So, thoughts?  Where are you on the Kübler-Ross five stages of grief model? 

- Denial: Hasbro can't be dumb enough to do this, can they?!?
- Anger: WTF Hasbro?  I'm done with collecting!
- Bargaining: Does the PET in bubbles really matter if the whole toy is plastic?!?
- Depression:  ****, this sucks.  Is collecting even worth it anymore?
- Acceptance:  I can't fight it so I may as well prepare for it.

Are you pissed that carded collecting as you know it is over?  Are you ambivalent since the packaging is just garbage anyway?

[Jedi Idej]

As an opener I am ok with this. The packing box and art, if I was inclined to keep, would be in better shape than card backs that had the bubble removed. And this packaging I know can be recycled, unlike the bubbles, which, from the wording on the website for my recycler, likely gets sorted out and put in the landfill.

The downside is not being able to see the paint application before I buy.

[Dave]

Meh.  A few years ago I might have been a lot more pissed off about this.  Pre-pandemic I would find a figure with a good card, good bubble, and good paint job.  There would be wear and tear from shipping to the store, stock-people cutting open boxes and handling and placing the figures on pegs, and other customers handling figures on the pegs before I got to them - so I wanted a good one.

These days its all pre-orders where I have no ability to control any of that and get what I get from Amazon/Target.com.  I don't think I've purchased more than two figures at retail in the past two years.

I'll miss the 3.75" bubbles and the nostalgia of the form factor, but at the end of the day this doesn't really get me too upset.  If I'm going to get upset about something with the figure line I'll spend my time bitching about the lack of truly new figures.

 

[Matt_Fury]

If they go the plastic free route, then they will have to end the Vintage Collection and start calling the 3.75" line something else.

Whether you are a carded collector or not, part of this line being called the Vintage Collection is the packaging that is so reminiscent of the packaging from the original Kenner toys from 1977 - 1985.

They better damn well finish the original 96 since they promised they would.

[Rob]

The only thing I wouldn't love about it is if I can't scope out the paint job before buying.

But I almost NEVER am buying something in a store with two sitting there to choose from anyway.  So what do I care.

This is already a wasteful hobby in terms of pollution and resources compared to what it provides for humanity.  If they can make it a little less wasteful, I'm in favor of it.

[Muftak]

I would argue that the plastic bubble on Kenner-inspired "expressions" are just as integral to the collectible being sold as the plastic figure inside. I would further argue that Hasbro knows this, having switched from those 3.75" Black Series WalMart boxed figures back to TVC cards.

The Retro 2-pack of Dengar and IG-88 has carded figures inside a larger box. The Marvel Legends Retro figures have done this multiple times. Hasbro has already found a technical out if they absolutely can't have visible bubbles for sale.

The bubbles are with us until TVC is done. And Retro for that matter. But look for new figures (with new tooling) to likely follow the form factor of the $25 Boba Fetts from earlier this year.

[P-Siddy]

I would argue that the plastic bubble on Kenner-inspired "expressions" are just as integral to the collectible being sold as the plastic figure inside.

Don't forget "ICONIC"!

[StBrianOfMinneapolis]

Isn't TVC a revolution in packaging compared to other toy lines? They should just do nothing and tout how revolutionary this design is. 

[Jeff]

As a person who opens 99% of my stuff, yeah I'm fine with it.  I'm in the same boat as Dave.  5 years ago I may have been upset, but since everything I buy now is online I've gotten used to "you get what you get".  Plus, without my reading glasses I can't see the bad paint apps anyway.

It sure is going to be a fun day on social media though when we get our first look at the 2023 TVC, Retro Collection, and ROTJ 40th Anniv 6" carded stuff with little cardboard boxes glued where the bubble should be. 

[Ben]

A few years ago I’d have been disappointed. But I’m OK with not buying a second set to keep carded now, so that’s fine. Since it’s all preordered online anyway, maybe just a white cardboard box like the old mail-in figures is all that’s necessary.

[Nicklab]

I've been seeing a lot of "the sky is falling" type of talk the past couple of days since the Hasbro Marvel Legends livestream. Mostly from the TVC community. So what do I *THINK* is going to happen?

Well, the no-name 6" budget figure line has already gone this route. They're in stores.  I saw them myself. The figures are still trash. But it's a sign of things to come.

The Black Series? I think it's going to head in the direction of no plastic packaging. That line has been more adaptable to change. But I think the concern about the quality of paint apps is legitimate. And we've all seen the handiwork of swappers.

And then there's The Vintage Collection.  The TVC deluxe line is new. And as a result I can understand Hasbro launching this new assortment with the all cardboard packaging. And I think that other TVC "expressions" like multipacks would likely have similar, all cardboard packages.  Does that mean things like the convention exclusive 3-packs will go this route?  I think we'll have an answer some time this summer.

As for the TVC basic figure line? I expect Hasbro to keep things as is. There has been over 40 years of history with this style of packaging. It set the standard for the action figure business.  That legacy is not insignificant.  We know it.  Hasbro knows it.  Disney & Lucasfilm know it.  It built Star Wars as a brand,

Hasbro also has enough market research and sales date to tell them about collector / customer sentiments. Surely, the concerns that have been voiced over the past 48 hours have probably given the Hasbro Star Wars team a sense of just how much this could impact the state of the brand. And the phrase "the package is part of the product" is something that I've heard Hasbro people say themselves. With that in mind I expect that The Vintage Collection will be "grand-fathered" as an exception to this Hasbro policy.  I also suspect that the Hasbro Star Wars team will push for a campaign to recycle the blisters or to use a recycled plastic material for the blisters.

And in the event that there is a future Hasbro Star Wars 3.75" action figure line in different packaging? I fully expect that line to adhere to the plastic-free packaging policy that Hasbro has laid out.