The news is out, and it’s official! The environmental impact of reusable nappies is officially less than disposables.
From start to finish reusable nappies produce less CO2, use fewer raw materials, and have a lower environmental impact than disposables.
This week Defra published their 2023 Life Cycle Assessment of reusable and disposable nappies. We'll be sharing our full thoughts on this study in the coming weeks as there's a few facts and figures we're not so sure about, but for now here are the headlines:
- Reusable nappies produce 25% less CO2 than single-use disposable nappies
- The environmental impact of production is over 90% lower for a reusable nappy than for single-use
- The environmental impact of disposal of a single-use nappy is nine times higher than a reusable nappy
- Even when factoring in washing and drying, reusable nappies are still the best choice for the environment
Now all this is great, but there are some simple things that can make reusables even better for the planet:
- Ensure your washing machine is full. You can throw towels in too if you don't have a full load of nappies. Not only is it better for the planet, but it helps the cleaning process too.
- Try and avoid using the tumble dryer.
- Use your reusable nappies on more than one child, whether that's your own, selling them, or handing them down.
- And we advocate for using as many reusables vs disposables as you can of course!
Join us in throwing away fewer nappies. Switch to reusables.
Read the whole Defra Life Cycle Assessment here