Disposable vs reusable nappies

Everyone wants the best for their baby, but they also want to make sure they are doing the right thing for the environment.

The long running debate of reusable versus disposable nappies has now been clarified by a major two year Government sponsored and independently reviewed study in the United Kingdom.

The UK government’s Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK ¹, coordinated by its Environment Agency, found “there was little or nothing to choose between them.”

This thoroughly documented study assessed a wide range of activities associated with manufacture, use and disposal of disposable and reusable nappies which can affect the environment.

The UK life cycle study, released May 2005 and updated in October 2008, showed that:

• using reusable nappies uses more water, energy and detergents
• disposable nappies contribute more solid waste to landfill.

These results confirm the findings of five other LCA studies conducted since 1991.

Carbon footprint of disposable and reusable nappies

A recent update to the UK report, An updated lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies ², found that on average, reusable nappies had a slightly higher carbon footprint than disposable nappies, when laundered under typical household conditions.

• For reusable nappies, the carbon footprint is heavily dependent on the conditions of washing and drying.

  • The carbon load can be anywhere between 81% higher to 38% lower than disposable nappies depending on factors such as water temperature, use of tumble dryers or line drying and use by subsequent children.

• The update found that the carbon footprint for disposable nappies has been reduced by 12% since the previous study and continues to reduce as nappies get thinner.

  • This also means a reduction in energy, raw materials, transportation and overall waste for disposable nappies.

The study reconfirms that neither nappy system is superior from an environmental viewpoint.

Reusable nappies have no environmental advantage over disposables

Another independent and objective study was the Australian Consumers’ Association’s consumer study of nappy performance, which concluded:

“There’s no clear environmental advantage in using reusable nappies over disposables. Both have damaging environmental impacts.” ³

This and the other life cycle assessment studies found that nappy alternatives had similar, overall impacts on the environment. The main differences were in the type of impact which occurred at each stage of each product’s life cycle such as the use of water, energy and chemicals for washing reusable nappies.

Laundering of reusable nappies

The environmental effects of reusable nappies are often not discussed. Whether washed at home or in a commercial laundry, the environmental impacts of laundering reusable nappies need to be considered.

• Washing and drying reusable nappies uses large amounts of energy such as gas and electricity which emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
• Significant water usage (around 19 tonnes for every 1 tonne of laundry washed) is also required.
• Chemicals used, such as pre-wash soakers and detergents, add substantial loads to waste water.

Based on these studies and conclusions, parents can now make a guilt free choice based on other important factors such as performance, cost and convenience.

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