Revenues at US toy giant Hasbro (Pawtucket, Rhode Island; www.hasbro.com) rose 4% to USD 5.21 bn (EUR 4.22 bn) last year, driven by currency gains, while cost management kept operating profit margin essentially flat amidst a drop in "Star Wars" sales and tough markets in Europe. Operating profit gained 2.8% to USD 810.4m and its margin narrowed only 10 basis points to 15.6%. Net earnings fell 27.5% to USD 396.6m due to charges linked to new US tax laws.

Revenues in the US and Canada, its biggest operating segment, expanded 5% to USD 2.69 bn. Increased advertising expenditures and bad debts stemming from the Toys"R"Us (Wayne, New Jersey / USA; www.toysrus.com) bankruptcy – see Plasteurope.com of 12.02.2018 – reduced operating profit by 2% to USD 509.9m.

International revenues improved 2% at USD 2.23 bn as growth in emerging markets offset weakness in Europe. Operating profits decreased 22% to USD 294.5m.

In separate company news, Hasbro has announced it will begin using sustainable plastic packaging. The plant-based bio-PET will be used for blister packs and plastic windows starting in 2019. The move is another step in the company's series of sustainable packaging initiatives. Hasbro replaced PVC with PET in its packaging in 2013 – see Plasteurope.com of 15.12.2011. The toy maker moved from PET to post-consumer rPET in 2016. It plans to use bio-PET made with 30% plant-based material derived from agricultural by-products and says this shift enables it to develop packaging that is less reliant on non-renewable resources.