Why choose a bamboo baby wipe?

In 2018 our founder, mum-of-two Laura, decided it must be possible to design a range of genuinely eco-friendly nappies and wipes that didn't mean compromising on performance or quality.

Less than 2 years later Mama Bamboo was voted  'Best Performance Disposable Nappy Range' by Mother & Baby, and had scooped a “Best Wet Wipes” MadeForMums award. In both awards, every other product shortlisted was made from plastics.

14 billion (mostly plastic) wipes are thrown away every year in the UK. There are lots of alternatives, here's why we believe our bamboo wipes are the best, for both baby and the planet.

It's not always easy to see what wipes are made from, or the ingredients included. So here's a simple, straightforward comparison of a few brands.

 

Why it's important to know what baby wipes are made from?

A bit like tea bags, wipes don't 'look' like plastic. Big brands typically use polyester, an oil-based plastic that won't biodegrade - it will either sit in landfill, or worse get flushed down the toilet and end up as a 'wipe-berger'. But, that's only half the story - the manufacturing process for creating plastics is also damaging.

The best environmental choice is a natural fibre which will naturally decompose (kinder to babies' delicate skin too!). However, not all natural materials are equal. Cotton farming often causes huge damage to our planet due to the amount of water it needs to grow, it is a very thirsty crop. And forestry can require significant fertiliser use and lead to huge soil erosion if not managed sustainably.

Bamboo grows fast enough to meet human demand without false irrigation, pesticides or fertilisers. During it's peak growing season you can actually see moso bamboo grow at a rate of almost 4cm in just 1 hour! Bamboo forests are also one of the best carbon sinks on the earth. Bamboo soaks up 3x as much atmospheric carbon than any other tree.

What’s different about Mama Bamboo wipes?

Water Content: Midwives and Health Professionals advise that the degree of purified water content is a key indicator to ensure the wipes are kind to baby’s delicate skin. Ours contain 99.4% purified water.

Packaging: Our packaging is an eco-friendly 100% recyclable RPET. It used to be plastic bottles! You can recycle ♻️ with your normal household recycling kerbside collections.

Sustainable Bamboo: Our wipes are made from FSC certified natural bamboo fibre – not only the most sustainable material but also best for baby's delicate skin too. Over 70% of bacteria can not grow on bamboo - it is naturally anti-bacterial.

100% Compostable: This is better than oxo-biodegradable, which requires special conditions to activate. You can simply pop them into your food waste or a home compost.

Carbon Offsetting: Our wipes are made where the bamboo is grown in China, so we offset our freight carbon emissions by planting more bamboo, through the Bamboo Village Programme. 

Cruelty Free & Vegan: Certified by The Vegan Society. We do not test any of our products or ingredients on animals. 

But, how good are they?

Awards and eco benefits to one side, Laura designed the wipes to fix the issues she had experienced as a mum. They are 'just the right amount of wetness', they won't rip but they are soft, and they are interleaved folded, meaning they come out one-by-one (so no wasting handfuls!). And, they smell clean, fresh - no added fragrances or lotions.

“Mama Bamboo held their own against more conventional brands in the category, securing a Silver Award. Our home testers found them durable and very capable of cleaning up a variety of messes. They held their shape and strength and made a very welcome eco-friendly option in the category.”

 

 

 

 

MadeForMums Tester Katie, said: “I had no issues with the wipes ripping and only used a minimal amount even in messy situations."

Every ingredient we choose is with you and your baby in mind - whilst being sure it's a good decision for our planet.

99.4% purified water - what is the 0.6%?

• Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate - Coconut oil and recommended for sensitive skin
• Propylene Glycol - this is a moisturising ingredient
• Aloe Barbadensis Extract - Aloe Vera
• Sodium Benzoate - a preservative often used in medicines and cosmetics. Fruits and vegetables can be rich sources, particularly berries such as cranberry and bilberry.
• Potassium Sorbate - derived from berries of the mountain ash tree it stops the growth of mold, yeast, and fungi.
• Tetrasodium EDTA - a stabiliser that prevents deterioration
• Citric Acid - lemon juice

We like to be transparent. You should be able to easily understand what is, or isn't in a product, especially when it's in contact with your baby's delicate skin. We also can't abide 'greenwash'.

Ultimately, at Mama Bamboo we know that most people will only choose the most eco-friendly products if they are good enough. As Mums, we know what parents and babies need, then we replace those 'unfriendly' materials and ingredients with 'friendly' ones. Finally, we think 'what else' - and that's where we get creative and go further than any brand we know.

You can buy our baby wipes in cartons of 12, 18 or 24 packs. Each pack contains 60 wipes and 12 packs are just £24.  Save more when you order more, 24 packs is £40 (£1.60 per pack).

Plus, we don't charge for delivery.