Climate Change

It must be accepted that both types of nappy will have an impact on our environment.

This website has shown that fossil fuels are burned during their manufacture, energy is used to clean cloth nappies and methane (which is a greenhouse gas) is released from landfill sites. Although only accounting for 10% of waste disposal in this country, plastics release cocktails of chemicals into the environment when disposable nappies are incinerated. This 10% seems more considerable though when we realise it is 10% of 8 million nappies a day.

Source : Illustration by Jem Sullivan taken from Diaperdilemma

Problems Encountered

Whilst doing research for this, it became obvious that nearly all of the research carried out is by organisations which have a vested interest in the results. Clearly this is perpetuating misinformation and is of no long term benefit to the environment or to parents who wish to make an informed choice. The studies that have been carried out are economics driven and only of benefit to each side of the market.