Now in its ninth year, Real Nappy Week is supported by over 380 UK local authorities with over 100 activities already planned across 40 counties. The campaign is already stronger than ever and there are still three weeks to go.

Real Nappy Week, which runs from June 20-26 2005, is coordinated by Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) working with the Real Nappy Campaign and WRAP.The Week aims to engage parents with a schedule of national, regional and local activities and enable them to make an informed choice of nappies.

Elizabeth Hartigan of WEN says, "Real Nappy Week is going from strength to strength. In only nine years it has developed into an internationally recognised brand, with activities taking place as far apart as Mexico and New Zealand this year. Meanwhile, the Government aims to convert an additional 155,000 households to real nappy use by April 2006 through WRAP's Real Nappy Programme, so Real Nappy Week plays a vital role in raising awareness to reduce waste."

Colourful or natural, plain or patterned, organic cotton, fleece or wool - there is such a range of real nappies that you are bound to find something to suit your taste, budget and lifestyle. And Real Nappy Week offers the perfect opportunity to find out more.

Incentive schemes will be launched in eight areas. Real nappy roadshows will tour Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Chelmsford, East Hampshire, Bromley, Oxfordshire and East Sussex, while the ever popular Nappuccinos or 'clothie coffee mornings' will be taking place in Berkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Wrexham. There will be nappy fashion shows in Wiltshire and the Isle of Lewis, a teddy bears' picnic in Bradford, a beach party in Bexley, a swim party in East Sussex and Cloth Nappy Challenge events in Norwich. To find out what is happening in your area visit www.wen.org.uk/rnw.

Local authorities promote real nappy use to reduce the amount of waste going to scarce landfill space. Three billion nappies a year - eight million a day - are thrown away in the UK. As well as saving waste, parents can save £500 on the cost of nappies for one baby, and more if they use them again on another baby.

WRAP Director Phillip Ward says, "Local activities and events give Real Nappy Week its vitality and sense of fun. They help parents-to-be and new parents to make an informed choice about what type of nappies to use. Real nappies reduce waste - that's what the campaign is all about."

Commenting on the Environment Agency report suggesting disposables and real nappies had similar environmental impact. Elizabeth Hartigan of WEN said “Supporters remain convinced of the benefits of washable nappies. Parents can save money and save waste and reduce harm to the environment. The only way parents can reduce environmental impact when using disposable nappies is to use fewer nappies and that’s not a good idea. Using real nappies puts parents in control. All you need is a sensible washing routine to really make a difference.”

The Real Nappy Helpline 0845 850 0606 gives callers details of their local cloth nappy contacts whether they want to buy them to wash at home or use a laundry service. For more information on real nappies visit www.realnappycampaign.com

ENDS

Ten top tips to help the environment:
· Use an energy efficient washing machine
· Wash soiled nappies at 60oC
· Wash wet nappies and waterproof wraps at lower temperatures along with the rest of your laundry
· Avoid tumble drying – hang nappies out to dry or use an airer
· Avoid soaking – store nappies dry in a lidded bucket
· Avoid using unnecessary chemicals such as conditioners and sanitizers
· Use eco-detergent
· Never iron nappies or wraps
· Extend the life of your nappies - reuse them on another baby, or give/sell them to someone else
· Use washable liners

Notes to editors:
Further media information: visit www.realnappycampaign.com, or contact Elizabeth Hartigan or Naomi Westland, Women’s Environmental Network, Tel: 020 7481 9004. Email: nappies3@wen.org.uk, comms2@wen.org.uk

Real Nappy Week, 20-26 June 2005 is the annual focus of the real nappy campaign, funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) and co-ordinated by Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) working with the Real Nappy Campaign. The Real Nappy Campaign will deliver a national educational programme of activity to raise awareness of washable real nappies, which will be supported throughout the week by regional and local activities across the UK co-ordinated by WEN. For more information on Real Nappy Week visit www.realnappycampaign.com.

Waste: Britain throws away about 8 million nappies a day. With a disposal cost to individual local authorities in hundreds of thousands of pounds per year (Nottinghamshire estimates £1 million per year) it is not surprising that nappy schemes now play a key role in local authorities’ waste strategies.

Cost: WEN estimates that washing nappies at home could save parents around 500 pounds. Hospitals can save money too by using real nappies on wards where disposables incur clinical waste charges. Local authorities save on waste disposal charges.

Environment: Many parents use just 20-24 nappies. Washing them at 60^oC in an energy efficient washing machine saves 24% global warming impact over that suggested in the Environment Agency report – Life Cycle Assessment of reusable and disposable nappies May 2005.

Modern nappies have advanced considerably over recent years. They are shaped and fitted and fastened without the need for pins. They come in a variety of styles and patterns. A biodegradable liner can be used inside the nappy and this can be removed so that the contents are flushed down the loo. Nappy washing services make things even easier, collecting dirty nappies and leaving fresh clean ones in their place.

Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) is a registered charity which 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. Other current issues include food, chemicals and the environmental impacts of disposable sanitary and continence protection. www.wen.org.uk email nappies@wen.org.uk tel: 020 7481 9004 fax: 020 7481 9144

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, re-use and recycling. A not-for-profit company in the private sector, WRAP is backed by substantial Government funding from Defra, DTI and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

WRAP has laid down targets across fifteen programmes. Twelve are focused on market development, and comprise six material streams (Paper, Plastics, Glass, Wood, Organics, Aggregates, Batteries, Tyres 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.

Information on all of WRAP’s activities is available at www.wrap.org.uk and details of its Recycle Now campaign can be found at www.recyclenow.com. For more information on WEN’s campaigns go to www.wen.org.uk