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We were surprised to learn that using cloth nappies isn't actually significantly greener than using disposables. The Environment Agency recently announced that all the energy used repeatedly to wash and dry them causes just as many problems as sending disposable nappies to landfill sites.
In the UK, disposable nappies account for 400,000 tonnes of waste every year, but the energy used by washing machines and tumble dryers to get cloth nappies ready for re-use means that they pollute almost as much. In short, there is a small saving in emissions by using reusables, but a lot more effort and contact with smelly nappies.
A US company called Seventh Generation has a better solution, with a more environmentally friendly disposable nappy. This means that you can cut down on your baby's carbon emissions and maintain a safe distance from all those other unpleasant emissions they seem so good at producing.
The nappies are chlorine-free, which reduces the amount of potentially harmful chemicals used in their manufacture, and the gel that provides absorbancy, sodium plyacrylate, is inert and non-toxic -- good news for the environment and for your baby. Because they're thinner than regular nappies they won't clog landfills as much and will use less energy to manufacture and transport.
On top of all that, they're just as good at keeping your baby dry and comfortable as big-name disposable nappies, the company claims, with "super-stretchy and re-sealable closure tabs." Oh, and they don't contain latex or fragrance, so that means they're hypoallergenic too.
The nappies are available in four sizes, and start at £11.50 for a pack of 56. You can find them on Green Face, which also offset some of the carbon emissions associated with importing the nappies by planting trees in Snowdonia.
20 November 2007 04:15pm
While I applaud your efforts to get disposable nappy users thinking a little greener, I would recommend you research your remarks more comprehensively before publishing them.
Studies (such as a study in Queensland, Australia) have actually found that the environmental impact of semi-'biodegradable' nappies such as those you mention can be resource thirsty in manufacture, and typically only degrade as the packets suggest if composted.
The results of the study you reference indicate that cloth and disposable nappies are equivalent environmentally, however the study is flawed and based on outdated nappies, laundry methods and use on one child only, and doesn't make any recommendations for improving environmental outcomes. You can, in fact, neutralise your impact or reduce it even further, by re-investing financial savings in green energy, water tanks, and other eco-friendly life style choices. Ideally, one would reuse until items can no longer be reused and start to degrade of their own accord, making reusable nappies the optimal choice.
In any case, I wouldn't call a document published over 2 years ago on even older research and data 'recent' - the Environment Agency is due to release an updated report later this year - I hope you keep an eye out for it and consider presenting a more balanced discussion of the topic when it is released.
23 November 2007 03:17pm
Again, I applaud the discussion on more environmentally-friendly nappies, but this news story is largely inaccurate and gives a misleading view on the environmental benefits of washable nappies.
As the above comment rightly makes, the flawed EA report referred to was hardly 'recent' and may mislead readers into thinking that the EA's follow-up report has been released (in response to the critique it received), which is in fact anticipated early next year. A flawed and out-dated report is hardly a foundation for a consumer news story, especially when it doesn't support doing the 'smart' thing.
Furthermore, the suggestion that we buy nappies made in the US (consider the air miles) and carbon offset really is a sticking plaster approach to being green and not one that will give us a 'smart planet'. Please, I congratulate the range of information that is appearing on Smart Planet, but wouldn't want to see quality research replaced by PR-generated content.
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