Project background - Research - Presenting findings - Current work - Scheme launch - Funders

Project background
Real Nappies for London brings together Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) with the Bexley Council and the GLA to encourage a pan-London approach to the promotion of cloth nappy use. Thorough independent research to evaluate and compare three different promotional pilot schemes in six London boroughs was commissioned.

Findings from this research are being used to devise the most effective incentive scheme to encourage the take-up and continued use of cloth nappies. This will then be refined and made available to all London boroughs.

The three trialed methods are:

A voucher scheme (piloted in London boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond)
Scheme participants can redeem the voucher for cloth nappy purchases via the Internet, mail order, in a shop or home based business, or trial a laundry service.

A cash-back scheme (piloted in London boroughs of Hackney and Islington)
Scheme participants can claim up to £54.15 towards their cloth nappy purchases or laundry service trial.

A giveaway scheme (piloted in London boroughs of Bexley and Lambeth)
Scheme participants have a choice of 2 types of trial packs containing a selection of cloth nappies and accessories, or laundry service trial.

The schemes were piloted in different demographic conditions. For more information on individual schemes, please click here

The advantages of providing an overall London scheme include:

• A scheme based on solid research;
• Tested approaches to outreach and awareness raising;
• An easy option for boroughs to adapt an existing scheme to their area rather than having to set up their own from scratch;
• A consistent message across the London area;
• Economies of scale in design and marketing;
• Sharing of experience and resources;
• Engagement of NHS and other partners.

Research
The research is the key to the validity of Real Nappies for London and was split into four phases:

Phase 1: was completed over the first quarter of 2005/06 and established a baseline against which to assess the effectiveness of the pilot schemes, providing insights into understanding barriers to real nappy use. This phase involved street surveys and interviews in hospital antenatal clinics in the boroughs of Bexley, Islington and Lewisham – with the last acting as a control borough where no scheme has been run during the research period. The phase 1 report presents generalised findings which can be used as a baseline for other areas.

Phases 2 and 3: the effectiveness of three schemes - voucher, cash-back and giveaway - was assessed in the above-mentioned boroughs. The extent to which each scheme achieved an increase in the use of real nappies and their prolonged use was evaluated. Phase 2 analyses were completed in March 2006. Phase 3 involved a computer assisted telephone survey of participants for higher quality data, which provided an improved response rate over self-selecting completion of questionnaires and assessed continued use.

Phase 4: a follow-up random sampling survey was run in all 6 boroughs operating pilot schemes as well as the control borough, Lewisham. This assessed the effectiveness of each practical scheme along with their promotional programmes at influencing a shift in attitudes and behaviours in the wider population compared to any national promotion affecting the control borough.

Additionally, the involvement of boroughs was monitored over this period to evaluate continuing scheme take-up, promotional activity, health professional engagement and measured impact on waste diverted from landfill. Please click here to view a summary of the research findings by independent research company GfK NOP, or email nappies@wen.org.uk to request full research results.

Presenting findings
‘What Londoners Say’ seminar
A summary of research findings and pilot boroughs’ outreach work was presented at a seminar on 26 July at Westminster Town Hall. Key representatives of London waste authorities, councils, the NHS, real nappy networks, businesses and other interested groups attended the seminar, and were given the opportunity to voice their views or pose questions in the open forum. Speakers’ presentations from the seminar are available to review, but if you would like to reproduce the data, please contact nappies@wen.org.uk for permission.

Current work
A working group with representative membership, including waste authorities and NHS staff has been established to review results and draft the optimum pan-London scheme, based on the evidence. Chaired by WEN, the aim of the working group is to design and implement the London scheme with associated mechanisms that will serve the needs of Londoners and contribute to the reduction of waste to landfill. To view the full list of objectives and the terms of reference for the group, please click here.

Scheme launch
The London scheme will be launched on 19th September 2006 with an invitation to boroughs to roll out a common programme based on tested approaches and economies of scale. The launch event will take place at City Hall (GLA), 2.30 – 5.30pm – invitations will be emailed in mid-August. If you would like to be on the invitation list, please email nappies@wen.org.uk

Next steps
The future of the pan-London Real Nappy scheme, its implementation and management, depends on the output from the Working Group meetings. Watch his space!

Funders
The wider RNfL project includes awareness-raising and partnership building among community organizations across a number of London boroughs and is funded by London Recycling Fund (LRF), Community Recycling and Economic Development fund (CRED) and the Western Riverside Environment Fund. The London Borough of Bexley and pilot boroughs (Islington, Hackney, Lambeth, Hounslow), North London Waste Authority and West London Waste Authority have contributed to survey costs.

The London Recycling Fund helped London boroughs and waste authorities to promote waste minimisation and recycle more. The Fund was a joint initiative of the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority, the Association of London Government and London Waste Action and was supported by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and WRAP.

The CRED Programme awarded £118,189 to Real Nappies for London, through the Big Lottery Fund's Transforming Waste initiative. CRED is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and nine consortium partners. The Programme will have awarded £36.5 million of Big Lottery Fund money in grants of between £50,000 to £300,000 to community based recycling, reuse and composting initiatives in England before the end of 2007.