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Which is more sustainable - disposable, reusable or eco-disposable?

1-minute read
Which is more sustainable - disposable, reusable or eco-disposable?

Well that's the big question, isn't it? There has been an ongoing debate at very senior levels in academia and government departments as to the overall impact of disposable nappies, eco nappies and reusable nappies for several years. 

DEFRA have updated their Lifecycle Assessment of disposables versus reusable with some very mixed results. Contrary to advocates opinion, plastic disposables outperformed reusables on 11 out of 18 sustainability criteria. 

Reusable nappies performed significantly worse for marine ecotoxicity and eutrophication due to the washing detergents and laundry chemicals needed. 

Impact category  Unit Regular Disposable Re-useable
Stratospheric ozone depletion kg CFC11 eq 2.33E-04 4.13E-04
Ionizing radiation kBq Co-60 eq 46.01 88.02
Ozone formation, Human health kg NOx eq 0.85 0.95
Fine particulate matter formation kg PM2.5 eq 0.45 0.55
Ozone formation, Terrestrial ecosystems kg NOx eq 0.89 0.97
Terrestrial acidification kg SO2 eq 1.04 1.3
Marine eutrophication  kg N eq 0.06 0.26
Mineral resource scarcity kg Cu eq 0.74 1.29
Freshwater ecotoxicity kg 1,4-DCB 26.16 28.18
Marine ecotoxicity kg 1,4-DCB 35.61 46.1
Human carcinogenic toxicity  kg 1,4-DCB 18.82 19.09
Terrestrial ecotoxicity kg 1,4-DCB 1903.33 1657.93
Human non-carcinogenic toxicity kg 1,4-DCB 486.54 478.33
Land use m2 a crop eq 73.06 61.69
Freshwater eutrophication kg P eq 0.23 0.17
Global warming potential kg CO2 eq 456.91 344.57
Fossil resource scarcity kg oil eq 153.16 112.48
Water consumption (manufacturing)  m3 7.8 7.11

source DEFRA 2023

Plastic disposables however, did have a higher carbon impact and impact on fossil fuel scarcity.

Eco-disposables were not considered in depth, but these have a lower carbon impact, reduced fossil fuel impact, and lower water consumption when compared to regular plastic disposables.  Eco-nappies could well be the most sustainable option available, scoring best in at least 14 out of 18 categories. 

Mama Bamboo is pleased to now be joining the UCL Comfort Loop study to take this research to the next level. We will be investigating the exact materials and end-of-life solution needed to ensure eco-disposables out-perform both plastic and reusable nappies on every sustainability measure. 

 

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