Don’t believe disposable and real nappies have the same environmental impact?

In May 2005 the Environment Agency published the results of their lifecycle analysis of the environmental impact of different nappy systems. It concluded there was little difference between real nappies and disposables. WEN believes the report is seriously flawed and the conclusion is based on unreliable data. It doesn’t reflect the energy parents can save using a sensible washing routine, let alone the waste real nappies prevent. See our factsheet for more information.

Here’s what you can do…

Join WEN or make a donation to support our campaign - Contact the Environment Agency -
Ask your MP to support Early Day Motion 155 - Contact other elected representatives -
Contact your local media - Tell your friends - Organise a fundraising event - Download our factsheet

Join WEN or make a donation
Help us keep up the campaign and produce and send out information. If you join you’ll be kept informed about all our campaigns and have the chance to get involved in local groups and activities. You can do both online here or by phone on ++ 44 (0)20 7481 9004. Don’t forget to Gift Aid your payment so we can claim tax back – we get an extra 28p for every pound. Any donations over and above what we need to fight this report will be put towards our other campaigning on nappies, health, waste prevention, food and related issues.

Contact the Environment Agency
Telephone: 08708 506 506
Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Register your opposition to the report, Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK, published by the Agency on 19 May 2005. All emails or calls to this line should receive a response within 10 working days.

Call on them to review the report.

Emphasise faults in the science of the report such as:

• the poor quality of the data


• the failure to take into account that one set of cloth nappies may be used for more than one child or that some parents buy second hand nappies, although the report assumed that cloth nappies are retained for re-use at the 'end of life'. This could be a case of double counting.


• Use of one data set for manufacture of pre-fold nappies used for laundry service


• Failure to do informative ‘sensitivity analyses’ such as:
  Ø reduction of energy used in laundry services with a more concentrated customer base or the
  Ø reduction in environmental impacts if a household uses 24 nappies, washing them at 60^oC with an eco-detergent in an energy efficient machine and line drying nappies.

You may also want to make some of the points listed below.

To view the full report go to www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/857406/1072214/

Contact your elected representatives
You can find out who your MP, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), Welsh Assembly (AMs) and European Parliament (MEPs) are, go to www.writetothem.com

Points you can make:

• You do no accept the findings of the Environment Agency report as it is flawed, has made assumptions based on poor data and reaches an incorrect conclusion


• You want a review of the report.


• You believe that real nappies are better for the environment: they contribute 24% less to global warming if washed according to manufacturers’ instructions in an A-rated (energy efficient) washing machine and they don’t create waste


• Environmental impacts can be reduced even more by line-drying, using an eco-friendly detergent and avoiding fabric softeners or soaking agents, which are unnecessary


• Real nappies can save parents £500 over the two and a half years a baby is in nappies so are of particular benefit to poorer parents


• Real nappies put parents in control of their environmental impacts; disposable nappies don’t


• You applaud the fact that Defra has commissioned the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to promote real nappy use, and that WRAP has a target of converting 155,000 households by March 2006.


• You deplore the Environment Agency for undermining Government strategy and the work of another Government agency


• Encouraging parents to use real nappies is a very practical way the UK can meet EU targets for reducing waste to landfill.


• Any points about your own experience of using cloth nappies or the benefits you feel they offer.

To your local MP
Ask them to pledge their support for Real Nappy Week 20-26th June 2005 by registering their support online www.wen.org.uk/rnw or by phoning Dina at WEN on 020 7481 9004.

Call for the review of the report.

Ask them to sign up to Early Day Motion 155 which criticises the flawed report and the message it sends out about the acceptability of single use items, and calls on the Government to continue to promote real nappy use to new parents.

To your local councillors
Ask them to make sure their council pledges its support for Real Nappy Week or, if it has already done so, that it stands by that pledge despite the Environment Agency report.

To your MSP, AM or MEP
Ask them to pledge their support for Real Nappy Week and do what they can to counter the wrongful impression that there is no environmental difference between nappy systems.

Contact your local media
Forward them WEN’s media statement or make your own statement, quoting points from WEN’s statement if you wish.

Tell your friends
Raise the issue in conversation or challenge misconceptions about the relative environmental impacts when they come up. Make sure everyone you know knows you don’t accept the conclusion of the report and that plenty of other parents and environmentalists agree with you.

Organise a fundraising event
Why not hold a social event, benefit gig, raffle or other event to help us with our campaign? If you are already planning an event, such as a ‘nappuccino’ coffee morning about real nappies, make a collection there for WEN. Contact us for advice before you do to make sure your collection complies with the law.