THE NAPPY DEBATE

Defra recently commissioned a life cycle assessment study of nappy use in the UK, looking at the impact of both disposable and reusable options. Results showed reusable nappies produce 25% less CO2 over two and a half years of use, than singleuse disposable nappies. PPS discusses the news with key suppliers in the sector.

Defra’s latest report has shown that if every child in the UK in nappies used reusable nappies instead of single-use products, it would save the equivalent of 700 million car miles in CO2, or 3,000 car journeys to the moon, while single use nappies use around 98% more resources to produce than reusable nappies. Even when factoring in washing and drying reusable nappies, they were still found to be the best choice for the environment.

Bambino Mio has been a key activist in promoting reusable options. Head of purpose, Elisabeth Whitebread, welcomes the report: “We know that lots of people are motivated to try reusables because of environmental concerns, but unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation swirling about. This report hopefully puts that to bed.

“I think an additional important point that has big ramifications is the impact this report will have on government policy. The government has lots of targets around waste prevention, particularly single-use plastics, but until now nappies have not really been a part of that conversation. That’s despite the fact we throw away around 3.6 billion single-use nappies every year.”

Another key advocate for reusable nappies is Tots Bots. Co-founder, Magnus Smyth, tells us: “We certainly hope this report will make a difference as it clearly states the benefits of reusables in terms of our environment. Reducing raw material consumption by 98% with 25% less CO2 emissions is significant and now parents really can make informed choices to benefit their children’s futures.”