Earth Day 2024: Towards reusable diapers for the better future of our Tiny Changemakers and Our Planet

April 22nd, marks Earth Day – a global event celebrated annually to demonstrate support and take action towards protecting our planet. This year, the theme is "Plastic vs Planet" calls to advocate for widespread awareness on the health risk of plastics and phase out all single use plastics.

For Earth Day 2024, let's confront a hidden danger lurking in our midst: microplastics. These tiny particles are everywhere, posing a significant risk to the environment, and in turn to us as humans.

Children, with their innate curiosity, are particularly vulnerable to microplastic exposure. Their innocent acts like "tasting" everything or crawling can unknowingly expose them to microplastics. Baby products such as plastic toys or feeding bottles are also major sources of exposure.

These particles accumulate in vital organs like the digestive system, brain, bloodstream, or lungs. Microplastics and harmful chemicals potentially lead to health issues like hormone disruption, autism, ADHD, and cancer.

Not only microplastics are deteriorating human health, but also the accumulation of disposable plastics in the environment. A sad reality is that less than 10% of plastics were recycled in the last 40 years. This is due to the hard-to-recycle nature of plastic, the high cost, and more energy needed. The recycling process faces the potential cost of releasing microplastics back into the water streams. And, one of the biggest contributors to polluted environments is disposable diapers.

At Billie Wonder, we're committed to sustainable practices and reducing our environmental footprint, starting with our reusable diapers. But why is there a need for switching back to cloth diapers and what is the dirty truth behind disposable diapers.

The cost of Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers were mass-produced and perceived in the market first in the 1940s and until recently their huge impact on the planet was recognised. With convenience at core, disposable diapers are saviours for parents in developed countries. Instead of having to spend time washing and drying cloth nappies constantly, they can use disposable diapers.

According to research from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the materials used to make disposable diapers combine cotton, pulps, viscose, and plastics, making it more difficult to recycle, especially once used. For every minute, around 300,000 disposable diapers are dumped in landfills and left incinerated or end up in the environment. They can take up to 500 years to decompose. With these staggering statistics, the disposable diapers market is considered one of the largest contributors to global public waste.

 

 

The comeback that can save the environment

One solution to this problem is the revival of reusable diapers. Before the ubiquitous appearance of disposable diapers, terry cloth nappies or those safety pins were the way to go for parents. However, it is a burden for them, and the diapers would need to be changed up to 15 times a day.

Now, reusable diapers have become more functional with a lower possibility of leaking and can easily be washed in washing machines. Some options such as Billie Wonder come with machine-washable inner layers. Despite the need for electricity and water for the washing machines to operate, reusable diapers lower the number of disposable products and lessen the carbon footprint on the environment.

In terms of pricing, the biggest concern for parents when considering reusable diapers is the upfront cost. When compared to single-use competitors, reusable ones would need a quite amount of investment and seem less cost-saving. However, in the longer run, and the ability to use it for multiple children, reusable seems to be the more cost-effective option.

In the duration of 2 years, a family can spend around 3000EUR on diapers for one child, whereas it would cost around 1500EUR for reusable diapers plus the accessories and the money needed to wash them. And if someone else comes along later, the reusable diapers would come in handy as one family does not need to invest again in this.

 

 

Why Billie Wonder?

Every baby born is a change maker. Wanting to leave behind a better future for our children, Billie Wonder came around as a solution for the tender care for every child and also the environment. For Earth Day, we want to celebrate our 2 years journey of providing the best quality and sustainable reusable diapers.

Our material splits into two types of fabrics namely water-resistant and absorbent. The water-resistant fabric is made from PUL (Polyurethane Laminated). This material allows the fabric to be machine-washable, and more endurance for multiple uses while being soft and breathable for our kids. The absorbent fabric for the insert is made of 55% Hemp & 45% Oeko-Tex organic cotton which allows great absorbance. Hemp plays an important role in our award-winning products, which grow sustainably, needing less water and pesticides.

We also partnered with Cycloon, a bike carrier platform for a cleaner and smarter logistic solution. We want our products to reach you in an environmentally friendly way. With Cycloon, parcel delivery with bikes minimizes CO2 footprint. We have also partnered with GoodShipping, for delivering materials from China to us. We want to support the eco-friendly shift from using non-renewable materials to biofuels.

It is our choice on how we should leave the world for its future owners. We, as Billie Wonder, chose to take steps to create a sustainable solution. Our mission is to cut down the amount of plastic emitted into the environment from disposable diapers. It is also our mission to provide reusable diapers to customers in sustainable ways by using sustainable resources and partnerships. This Earth Day, let's pledge to confront the menace of plastics. Together, we can create a cleaner, healthier world for generations to come.

 

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Sources:
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/baby-steps-how-reduce-plastic-nappy-waste
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/disposable-nappies-landfill-plastic-circular-economy/