The growth of a global phenomenon will be celebrated during the 10th annual Real Nappy Week from 24-30 April 2006.

In just ten years the Week has become a firm fixture on the calendar and grown into an international event with hundreds of activities across the UK, Ireland and as far afield as New Zealand and Mexico.
Support has increased year on year and Real Nappy Week 2005 attracted record support with the backing of over 80% of UK local authorities and almost 500 events in 65 counties. An even bigger splash is promised for 2006 with special 10th anniversary events being planned throughout the country and around the world.

Real Nappy Week is coordinated by Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) working with the Real Nappy Campaign. Sponsored by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme), Real Nappy Week aims to enable parents to make an informed choice of nappies.

WEN’s Elizabeth Hartigan says, ‘Real Nappy Week has made an incredible journey: an idea that was brewed up at a kitchen table ten years ago is now a global movement. And the nappies have come a long way too: parents can choose from an amazing range of shapes, styles and fabrics which are easy to use and simple to wash.’

Eight million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK; Real Nappy Week shows parents how they can save money, save waste and benefit the environment all at the same time.

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. The Nappy Finder service – www.realnappycampaign.com/nappyfinder - also allows parents to find all their local services including Local Authority incentive schemes simply by entering their postcode.

To find out how you can celebrate Real Nappy Week’s 10th anniversary log on to www.wen.org.uk/rnw or call 020 7481 9004.

Details of plans for Real Nappy Week 10th Anniversary events can be viewed on www.wen.org.uk from 13 March 2006.

ENDS

For more media information visit www.wen.org.uk/rnw or contact Biba Hartigan tel: 020 7481 9004, email: bibahartigan@aol.com

Notes to editors

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, toxic chemicals and the environmental impacts of disposable sanitary and continence protection.

Cost
Home laundered nappies could save parents around £500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappies.

You can kit out your baby in real nappies on the high street for under £50. This includes all the nappies and waterproof covers you need for the whole of your baby's nappy wearing life. The same amount of money would only buy nine weeks of disposables.

Health
Disposable nappies are made of superabsorbent chemicals, paper pulp and plastics, while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics.

For the best solution, organic cotton and hemp nappies and organic wool waterproof overpants are available at a reasonable cost.

Waste
Nearly three billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year. The vast majority of these (90%) end up in landfill.

Nearly eight million nappies are thrown away every day in the UK.

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 in the private sector, WRAP is backed by substantial government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

WRAP is currently running 15 programmes. 12 of them 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