| The Great Diaper Debate: Comparing the Environmental Impact of “Eco-Friendly” Diapers | |
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Two months before I gave birth to my baby girl I did some research on which diapers would have the least amount of environmental impact. Traditional, “non-eco” disposables were never even an option…I was interested only in comparing “eco” choices. I assumed that organic cloth diapers would be a clear win. In fact, before Emerson was born, I pretty much planned on using organic cloth diapers, washing them at home, despite the rather daunting and disgusting work that would require. I even put a bunch in our baby gift registry. In doing more research, however, that choice may not have been best, particularly because of where we live (more on that in a minute). First, let me say how disappointed I was to find very little solid information on the environmental impacts of eco-friendly diapers, given that all of us have soiled our fair share of one kind of diaper or another in our early life. Most studies compared only traditional, non-eco disposables against non organic cloth diaper delivery services. In fact, I have yet to find a study that compares every kind of diaper. Let this be a call to action for the Powers That Be: We moms need a study that compares the eco and baby-butt- health-attributes of traditional disposables, “eco” non-chlorinated disposables (e.g. Seventh Generation), “super eco” biodegradable sustainably resourced non-chlorinated disposables (e.g. Nature Boy and Girl, Tushies), non-organic cloth washed at home, organic cloth washed at home, non-organic cloth diaper service and organic cloth diaper service. Whew. I see why no one has done that study. The best comparison I found was done by National Geographic’s Green Guide. So, piecing together bits of information, and thinking this through as best as my mommy brain can, here is my conclusion: eco disposables and organic cotton cloth diapers have about the same environmental impact, however, there is a slight difference depending on where you live. If you live in a water-rich area, go with cloth. If you live in a relatively dry area, choose eco disposables. A few supporting points and clarifications: I lump all eco disposables into one category because the majority of them end up in landfill and, once there, they won’t biodegrade even if they are marketed as biodegradable due to the lack of oxygen. Supposedly, you can compost wet biodegradable diapers/G-Diaper inserts (not poopie ones due to the pathogens), but I found varying opinions on whether it actually works or not. In a study conducted by Dr. Alan Greene for Seventh Generation, they found that water usage was at least two times greater for cloth diapers (vs disposables) depending on whether they were washed at home or by a service, taking into account the full lifecycle–raw resources to disposal–of both kinds of diapers. They also found that washing cloth diapers at home uses anywhere from 50 to 70 gallons of water every three days. Again, this is less of a big deal if you are in a water rich area, but, for the millions of us that live in dry places like CO, CA, AZ, NV, we should think twice about doing all that laundry. Given that water scarcity out-weighs landfill capacity in most areas, think about water before waste. In the same study, Dr Alan Greene mentions that Cloth diapers generally require the use of chlorine bleach for sanitizing purposes (particularly if sent to a diaper cleaning service where diapers are shared among many households). Once rinsed down a drain, chlorine can combine with organic material naturally present in ground and surface waters to create toxins like chloroform. Landfill load. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 80% of the diaperings in this nation are done with disposables. That comes to 18 billion diapers a year. Those 18 billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp from over 250,000 trees. They’re the third most common item in the average landfill behind newspapers and food and beverage containers. Don’t buy traditional disposables! A well-known study conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 found mice exposed to VOC chemicals emitted by conventional disposables had asthma-like reactions. Baby lungs aren’t as small as mice lungs, but they aren’t that big either. This is worrisome. Plus, their manufacture involves chlorine, one of man-kind’s worst pollutants. Even eco disposables contain SAP. SAP (asodium polyacrylate) is a super absorbant petroleum-based chemical used in most disposable diapers. Plastic disposables, and, unfortunately, Seventh Generation, Nature Boy & Girl, and G-Diapers, contain SAP to “lock in” moisture. In studies, SAP has shown to cause respiratory and skin irritations in occupational settings according to healthychild.org. Seventh Generation and other eco disposables are working hard to find an alternative that matches SAP’s performance. Tushies is the only disposable brand that does not include SAP and, user comments online say they are fine for short stretches during the day, but not at night. Eco diapers are not always more expensive. We order our diapers in bulk from either Amazon or Drugstore.com. For those of you who think that eco diapers are too expensive, you’re wrong. A case of Pamper’s “Cruiser” diapers at Drugstore.com costs $41.99 for 140 diapers. That’s $.32 per diaper. A case of Nature Boy and Girl diapers costs $44.99 for 136 diapers. That’s $.33 per diaper. When you consider all of the environmental costs of Pampers, would you rather save that penny or the planet your kid is going to live on for years to come? Seventh Generation is more expensive and they are the more widely available eco brand ($.41 per diaper on Drugstore.com). Buy Nature Boy and Girl online and save in multiple ways. For what it’s worth, the Green Guide recommends Nature Boy and Girl disposables and they are what we use. They fit and absorb great. I will be happy when they find an alternative to SAP. A few good resources: 1. National Geographic’s Green Guide: Diaper buying guide 2. The Inside Poop on diapers 3. The Case for Disposable Diapers: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part I 4. Cloth Diaper Brands You Can Trust: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part II Source: GO Media - Written by Allison Wolff Comments
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My wife uses the grand children's eco-friendly disposable nappies in her worm bin. The worms dispose of everything everything except the outer layer. No problems with the worms.
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 written by Jenny Taylor , November 10, 2009
To the last comment - Instead of telling us how bad we are by trying to do the best we can for our kids and the environment all at the same time, how about giving us a usable solution?
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I think the article is well written and should've been done long ago. Well done. The fact that you've taken the time and energy to look into this (instead of going with the flow like everyone else) should be applauded. report abuse
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Diapers that never see a landfill are the environmental problem-much more than those ending up in the landfill. Pollution of rivers, oceans, blocking drains and killing wildlfe and sea mamals are the problem, and the only solution is the oxo-biodegradable plastics that result in the plastis content degrading in a couple of years instead of a couple of centuries with normal plastic.
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George Fee This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it report abuse
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 written by Gerda , November 05, 2009
In South Africa we use Steri-nappi - easy to use. Rinse nappy out once and put in bucket with Sterinappi. After 24 hours rinse nappy out and hang up to dry. Very little water seen as we use about 10 nappies per bucket.
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i.e. Hydrogen peroxide will take care of the chlorine aspect mentioned in the article, as well as desinfect, deodorize and de stain.
In Florida I buy Publix, Green Wise clorine free bleach i.e. Hydrogen peroxide.