20
April 2006
Real Nappy Week Latest Update
Diary
Date: 24-30 April 2006, Real Nappy Week 10th anniversary.
Real
Nappy Week in fashion with record support
Sixteen fashion shows, more than 60 ‘nappuccinos’, and hundreds
of displays planned for the 10th anniversary Real Nappy Week, from April
24 to 30, reveal just how far real nappies have come in the last decade.
No longer just an eco and economic option, real nappies are now a fashionable
lifestyle choice.
More than 500 events throughout the UK and overseas are planned to show
parents what real nappies are really like: snug fitting styles in bright
and funky designs, from Day-Glo to leopardskin, retro tie-dye to classic
white - and its not simply cotton, there are also fluffy fleece, silky-soft
bamboo or organic hemp fabrics to choose from.
At 'nappuccinos' held at local venues around the UK, in Ireland and
as far afield as Australia parents can enjoy a coffee while they see
and find out about real nappies. Other events for the week include nappy
mountains – to show the waste just one baby in disposables can
create – in Maidenhead, Bristol, Dalkeith, Midlothian, Plymouth,
Wakefield and elsewhere; a tea party in Bracknell Forest, baby fairs
in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Beverley, East Yorkshire, teddy bear’s
picnics in Bromsgrove, West Midlands and Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis,
a prize draw for a washing machine at Stockton on Tees and a Real Ale,
Real Nappies, Real Men evening in Reading, Berkshire. Special offers,
competitions and nappy give-aways are on offer from several companies
and through maternity services.
Details of all activities, offers and competitions are posted on Women’s
Environmental Network’s website, www.wen.org.uk and the list is
updated as new information comes in.
A record 905 supporters have signed up to back Real Nappy Week, including
over 90 percent of all UK local authorities and 155 MPs, MSPs, MEPs
and Welsh AMs. With some eight million nappies thrown away every day
in the UK, authorities actively promote real nappy use to cut waste
and as a cost-saving option for families.
The Week is once again an international affair with displays, fashion
shows and media activities planned in Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland,
Mexico and New Zealand.
Biba Hartigan of Women’s Environmental Network (WEN), which co-ordinates
the week, said: “We are bowled over by the level of interest there
is in Real Nappy Week this year. So many people have cottoned on to
how cute real nappies look, how well they perform, and their potential
to save money and save waste. With so many activities and so many styles
on display, parents are really spoilt for choice.”
Real Nappy Week is supported by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action
Programme) through its Real Nappy Campaign and in Scotland through the
Waste Aware Scotland campaign. To find out how you can celebrate Real
Nappy Week’s 10th anniversary, visit www.wen.org.uk or call 020
7481 9004.
ENDS
For more media information visit www.wen.org.uk or call Liz Sutton,
Biba Hartigan or Suzanne Simmons-Lewis on 020 7481 9004.
Notes to Editors
Women’s
Environmental Network (WEN) is a registered charity that campaigns
on issues which link women, health and the environment. WEN has been
involved in Real Nappy Week since its inception and has coordinated
the week in its current form since 2000. Support for the Week has grown
year on year: from 116 organisations in 2000, to more than 850 supporters
in 2006 – over 90% of all UK local authorities – and hundreds
of other organisations, companies and political representatives. Other
current WEN issues include food, toxic chemicals and the environmental
impacts of disposable sanitary and continence protection.
NAPPY
FACTS
Cost
Home laundered nappies could save parents around £500 on the cost
of keeping a baby in nappies.
Health
Disposable nappies are made of superabsorbent chemicals, paper pulp
and plastics, while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics.
Organic cotton and hemp nappies and organic wool waterproof covers are
available at a reasonable cost.
Waste
Nearly three billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year. Most
(90%) end up in landfill;
that’s nearly eight million nappies a day. We do not know how
long it takes for the plastics in disposable nappies to decompose but
it could take hundreds of years.
WRAP
(the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a major UK
programme established to promote resource efficiency. Its particular
focus is on creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials
and products and removing the barriers to waste minimisation, reuse
and recycling.
A not-for-profit company, WRAP is backed by substantial government funding
from Defra and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland.
WRAP is currently running fifteen programmes. Twelve relate to market
development, comprising nine material streams (paper, plastics, glass,
wood, organics, aggregates, tyres, batteries and plasterboard) and three
generic areas (business & finance, procurement, and regional market
development). Three further programmes relate to the wider resource
efficiency remit - collections, communications and awareness, and waste
minimisation.
Part of WRAP’s waste minimisation work, the Real Nappy Campaign
is an element of the Real Nappy Programme, which is focused on helping
parents to make an informed choice about nappies and increasing the
visibility of real nappies. Its targets are to convert an additional
155,000 households to real nappy use, and in the process divert 35,000
tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill.
More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found at www.wrap.org.uk
The
Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) works in partnership
with WRAP to deliver the Real Nappy Campaign in Scotland, which is funded
by the Scottish Executive. SWAG was established in 2000 to change public
attitudes and behaviour towards domestic waste in Scotland. The Waste
Aware Scotland campaign, developed after 18 months of both qualitative
and quantitative research, has been adopted and is being used by all
32 Scottish local authorities. The campaign also receives cross-sector
support from the Scottish Executive, the Convention Of Scottish Local
Authorities, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, the Scottish
Environmental Services Association, Scottish Environment Protection
Agency and Community Recycling Network Scotland. For more information
visit www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk
