What is a Biodegradable Nappy?
"Biodegradable nappies" are typically made from natural materials such as bamboo or cotton and use compostable biofilms as liners rather than regular plastic materials. They earn the nickname "biodegradable nappies" because these alternative materials are plant based and can degrade in home and/or industrial composters.
You may also hear them referred to as "eco-nappies", "plant-based nappies" and "sustainable nappies".
The key differential between these nappies and standard nappies is the amount of plastic used. A normal nappy has a polyethylene liner like a plastic bag inside the nappy and the top and bottom covers which lie against the babies' skin are made from polyester.
Why risk does plastic exposure pose to babies?
There are two main risks in the use of plastics in babies' nappies and clothing:-
- microplastic exposure
- skin irritation and rash
1 - Microplastic Exposure:
A recent study highlighted in the report found that newborns and infants have higher concentrations of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles in their bodies compared to adults and young children are 3 times more likely to breathe in microplastics from their closest environment; their clothing, household carpets and bedding.
Once inhaled, microplastics can penetrate deep into the lungs, leading to inflammation and other long term health issues. For children, whose immune and respiratory systems are still developing, this early exposure poses an even greater threat. Chronic exposure to microplastics may contribute to conditions such as asthma, respiratory infections, and even long-term risks like heart disease and cancer.
Microplastics may also impact brain health. Studies on animal models have shown that nano-sized plastics can cross the blood-brain barrier, raising concerns about their potential neurotoxic effects on children's developing brains.
2 - Skin irritation and rash
Newborn skin is porous and sensitive, and sweat glands and temperature regulation is not established. This means its essential for them to wear breathable, temperature regulating clothing. Unfortunately plastic is neither. Trapping heat and bacteria in a plastic nappy, against a babies most sensitive skin, will increase the chance of nappy rash and skin irritation.
How do Bamboo nappies avoid these risks?
Unlike plastic, bamboo will not shed microplastics onto skin or into airways. This is an essential part of reducing a babies' early exposure to microplastics. Nappies are worn 24 hours a day for the first 2 years of a babies' life, so it makes sense to avoid microplastics.
Bamboo is breathable, soft and temperature regulating. Bamboo is also naturally antibacterial. Breathability combined with the improved heat control of bamboo is one of the main reasons why these nappies help to reduce nappy rash for babies.
What about the environment? Can a biodegradable nappy actually be degraded?
Nappies made from biodegradable materials are a great alternative to traditional disposable nappies made of polyesters, polyethylene and other harmful materials; not only are they are better for babies' skin and long term health, they are more sustainable to produce and offer more environmentally friendly options for end-of-life treatments.
Production:
Bamboo and corn are all renewable resources. Unlike oil, they are grown and harvested annually.
We choose to make Mama Bamboo nappies from FSC certified sustainably harvested bamboo because it is the only woody plant on earth which can regenerate fast enough organically to keep up with human consumption and it requires zero irrigation or chemical fertiliser.
Last year, we avoided 295,000 litres of crude oil being used for nappy production and saved 200 million litres of water by choosing bamboo.
Read more here about Our Impact – Mama Bamboo
End-of-Life:
At end-of-life, our nappies can be composted at home if a customer has a hot composter and some knowledge of managing composting processes. However, we are campaigning to get this process managed by municipal waste processors as we understand many customers do not want to undertake this at home. The nappies could decompose by up to 80% if processed in industrial composters. We are currently testing a pre-treatment process with the University College London (UCL) which would decrease the time taken to achieve this level of decomposition. If successful, this pre-treatment would make the solution scalable on a national level.
With this in mind, we are pushing governments to ban plastic in nappy production and invest in the national compost infrastructure.
Read more here - Time to change the conversation – Mama Bamboo
In the meantime, most nappies continue to be incinerated in the UK. A plant based nappy will release 6x less carbon dioxide than a plastic nappy during the incineration process.
Want to know more...
If you have any unanswered questions about our nappies, then please do not hesitate to drop us a message via the online form on our website. We’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
