The real nappy is the one you and your baby are happiest with
16th April 2008
Disposable nappy manufacturer Kimberly-Clark (NZ) Ltd says that whilst the manufacturers, promoters and users of cloth
nappies celebrate their chosen nappy type during Real Nappy Week, the real nappy for parents is the one that their baby
is happiest with.
Grant Hartley Head of Marketing for Kimberly-Clark NZ said:
“That 96% of all nappy changes in New Zealand are with disposable nappies tells its own story. Despite local authorities
around the country subsidizing reusable nappies, mums and dads continue to choose disposable nappies for their baby
saying that they prefer them for their skin care, dryness and leakage protection and the convenience for their babies:”
“We do not believe parents should be made to feel guilty about which type of nappy they choose to buy on environmental
grounds. Disposable nappies represent less than 2% of waste to landfill but it is undeniable that they punch above their
weight in terms of the amount of attention they get. There is compelling evidence from government led life cycle
analysis in the UK and elsewhere that disposable nappies and cloth nappies have an equal amount of environmental impacts
when you consider all aspects of production, use of resources and disposal but the impact of disposables is more visible
than the water and energy used with cloth nappies.”
Challenged during Real Nappy Week last year by Green MP Nandor Tanczos to come up with a solution to nappy waste to
landfill, the team at Huggies approached Canterbury nappy business owners Karen and Karl Upston and R5 Solutions which
owns the Hot Rot Technology, to see how they could support the commercialization of a nappy composting plant.
Last month, the Huggies Envirocomp Solution (www.envirocomp.co,nz) was announced which will go live in Canterbury at the
end of this year with the ultimate capacity to divert around 20 million nappies from landfill.
Karen Upston, Founder of Envirocomp Ltd says that this is the sort of innovation which mums and dads want:-
“During the trial which we ran last year we were surprised by the sheer number of people waiting for this type of
service to be made available and prepared to travel and pay for it. They want to use disposable nappies but they don’t
want to have to feel guilty about it. These days our lives are busier and we live in a more disposable world, mums are
going back to work sooner and when they get home from work they want to spend quality time with children not washing
nappies”
“With the support of Huggies and Hurunui District Council we will have the first commercial nappy composting facility in
New Zealand and we believe the world operating in Canterbury by the end of this year. Councils subsidizing cloth nappies
should have a look at following Hurunui’s leadership and support something parents do want which is a credible and
efficient alternative solution to landfill.”
Please refer to website to download a video of the Huggies Envirocomp Solution:
http://huggiesnz.co.nz/OurProducts/TheEnvironment/Huggies-Envirocomp.asp
ends