Environmental Facts

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTS

Just imagine - it is 500 years into the future and your great-great-great-...20-to-25-times great...-grandchildren are being born while the disposable nappies used way back in 2008 are STILL rotting away in the landfill.....

JUST HOW MANY $$ DO PARENTS SPEND ON NAPPIES?

...Convenience need not cost the earth...

Pollution and Energy Use

A UK footprinting study has demonstrated that the 'footprint' of disposables (energy and raw materials use)* is greater than that of washable nappies. the study was based mainly on a study done for the disposbles industry, and followed WEN's success in securing an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that disposables manufacturers could not claim they had equal impact.

Bleaching woodpulp to make the fluff pulp and paper for disposable nappies creates pollution. Chlorine bleaching creates toxic dioxins, but is used much less since WEN's 1989 campaign on the issue. bleaching now uses different chlorine chemicals and dioxin levels are now as low as with totally chlorine-free bleaching.

Disposables contain several different kinds of plastic, made fromnon-renewable crude oil. More fossil fuel is used in the manufacturing process for plastics and paper, and so they use energy at this stage. Renewable energy from wood is also used. Most plastics are not biodegradable, but even for truly biodegradable ones, landfill sites do not provide the right conditions. Even papaer may persist for decades, but if it does break down, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, will be produced.

Paper pulp is a major constituent of the disposable. To supply most of the pulp used in Britain ancient canadian forests are being felled and diverse Scandinavian forests are being replaced with monoculture plantations, managed with pesticides and fertilizers. Many animal species are already at risk due to forestry proactices.

The paper industry is a net emitter of greenhouse gases because young trees do not contain as much carbon dioxide as the mature trees they replace. Fuels and chemicals in the paper process add to carbon emissions and paper returns carbon dioxide to the environment as it biodegrades.

Footprints...

* Source Best foot Forward
This article is from the brochure 'Nappies and the Environment' written by UK group Women's Environmental Network, dated Dec 2000

Pollution and Energy Use
A UK footprinting study has demonstrated that the 'footprint' of disposables (energy and raw materials use)* is greater than that of washable nappies. the study was based mainly on a study done for the disposbles industry, and followed WEN's success in securing an Advertising Standards Authority ruling that disposables manufacturers could not claim they had equal impact. Bleaching woodpulp to make the fluff pulp and paper for disposable nappies creates pollution. Chlorine bleaching creates toxic dioxins, but is used much less since WEN's 1989 campaign on the issue. bleaching now uses different chlorine chemicals and dioxin levels are now as low as with totally chlorine-free bleaching. Disposables contain several different kinds of plastic, made fromnon-renewable crude oil. More fossil fuel is used in the manufacturing process for plastics and paper, and so they use energy at this stage. Renewable energy from wood is also used. Most plastics are not biodegradable, but even for truly biodegradable ones, landfill sites do not provide the right conditions. Even papaer may persist for decades, but if it does break down, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, will be produced. Paper pulp is a major constituent of the disposable. To supply most of the pulp used in Britain ancient canadian forests are being felled and diverse Scandinavian forests are being replaced with monoculture plantations, managed with pesticides and fertilizers. Many animal species are already at risk due to forestry proactices. The paper industry is a net emitter of greenhouse gases because young trees do not contain as much carbon dioxide as the mature trees they replace. Fuels and chemicals in the paper process add to carbon emissions and paper returns carbon dioxide to the environment as it biodegrades. Footprints... * Source Best foot Forward This article is from the brochure 'Nappies and the Environment' written by UK group Women's Environmental Network, dated Dec 2000

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But... if you still need convincing, add this page to your favourites (so you can find it again!) then go to Born to Love. Their site has 65+ articles on choosing and using cloth diapers (nappies), Frugal Baby Tips, attachment parenting, extended breastfeeding, pregnancy loss, environmental concerns, diaper discussion lists and lots more at <http://www.borntolove.com>

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