What have nappies got to do with Laudato Si’? Seems a bit far from an encyclical!

If you are going through nappies then reading an article on nappies is probably the last thing you want to do. And we’re not promising to save you any time or money.

It turns out that nappies are one of the biggest sources of plastic waste worldwide. We recommend the UN environmental programme’s article on nappy waste here.

These days it is increasingly common to find disposable nappies with green claims on the packaging. How much do we trust these claims?

Think about a disposable nappy. What might make a nappy more environmental?

Think about what the nappy is made from. Do those materials come from sustainable sources? What will happen to those materials when the nappy is put in landfill or incinerated? Is it made far away? Is it made from materials that come from far away? How much energy is used to make them? How much waste is produced during manufacture? What are the conditions like for those that make them? And for those that supply the materials?

Are there alternatives? Historically almost all nappies were washable and this was fairly cheap but far from easy. Modern washable nappies exist too.

Think about the washing process. How much energy and water is used to launder the nappy? Where does the energy come from?

So considering nappies really does have a part to play in looking after our common home.