On the never-ending diaper ado

18 Jun 2008

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My Sweet Umbra,

The diaper debate continues! I've read Grist's position, and I even saw the same answer posted in your FAQs, which means I'm not supposed to be asking you about it again (all change has been effected by those of us who challenge the system!). The thing is, I disagree vehemently with your assertion that cloth diapers are as evil as disposables, and here's why: We use organic cotton diapers on our daughter. Sustainably harvested, pesticide-free, unbleached cotton. I bought them from a local vendor to support my local businesses. I also use diaper covers made from wool, which I made sure was sustainably harvested. When they get pooped in, I have a handheld bidet, which uses a mere 0.75 gal/min of water, to conveniently wash said poop into the toilet, where it may or may not be flushed immediately ... When I have a full load, I wash them in a high-efficiency front loading washer using vinegar, Biokleen, and a dash of Seventh Generation lavender scented detergent. When the wash is done, they get hung on the line (summer) or on the drying horse (winter), as does all of our laundry.

If we were using a diaper service, I would feel just as dirty about it as throwing masses of feces-filled disposables into the trash. But by doing it the way we have chosen (which is the way my mother did it, and her mother, and ...), we avoid the emissions from transporting via the service, we use a very small amount of water, we don't use harsh chemicals, and we don't use any extra energy in drying them. I would argue until the diapers are dry that this method is far better than using disposables or a commercial diaper service, and really adds no more stress or work than doing laundry ever did in the first place. Rebuttals?

Ian
Hudson, Wis.

Dearest Ian,

Your letter was the shorter of two very long, impassioned letters from cloth-diaper supporters that I received recently. To be fair I will mention the main additional argument from the other, longer letter: We don't use disposable clothing, so why use disposable diapers? Indeed. But diapers are more akin to toilet paper than they are to coats, and few suggest using reusable toilet paper.

Give it a rest.

The most recent large-scale study of diapers came out in 2005 -- it was actually a study of nappies, as it came from the British Environment Agency. The agency commissioned a lifecycle assessment of the three major types of nappy: disposable, home-laundered cloth, and commercially laundered cloth. They considered a boggling range of factors, including estimates of infant urine production as well as factors such as the typical dryer electric load and the impact of woven fabric manufacture. They assessed impacts on global warming, ozone depletion, summer smog, depletion of non-renewable resources, eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity, and aquatic and terrestrial toxicity.

Despite what looks to me like a Herculean effort, the results were the same as previous studies. I quote, "For the three nappy systems studied, there was no significant difference between any of the environmental impacts ... although the lifecycle stages that are the main source for these impacts are different for each system." And, very helpfully, "For one child, over two and a half years, these impacts are roughly comparable with driving a car between 1,300 and 2,200 miles." Now we know exactly how much mileage to shave off our car to compensate for diapering each kid.

There are a few ways for the typical layparent to integrate this type of LCA result into his or her life. One is to disbelieve the LCA and seek holes or errors in the system. I recommend against this stressful exercise (though it may be possible to find things you consider to be holes, as others did -- too few nappies studied, your particular type of nappy not included, etc.). The other is to recognize that the LCA might be basically accurate, and that our reaction to it demonstrates where our passions lie.

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I, for example, am relieved by this type of conclusion from a study. First of all, nearly everyone uses disposable diapers at one point or another. In the U.K., disposables are 95 percent of the diaper market. Imagine how depressing and horrid it would be to know that disposable diapers were clearly far worse than the alternative, but to see your friends, neighbors, fellow parents, and co. blithely continue to buy them. Second of all, what relief to choose a diaper based on what works best for our families and know that we have not compromised too much on the environment. We don't get to do that with very many objects. You, Ian, have a passion for reusable diapers. How great, then, that this study shows your choice to be equal to other choices, rather than inferior.

I truly recommend a little reading through the nappy LCA. If you've never read an LCA, it will show how many factors go into making a thorough evaluation, and the uncertainty of various data (e.g., "There was limited amount of data regarding the quantities of excreta that are generated by children"). An LCA, because it finds the true impacts of a product, can help us know how to focus our efforts on environmental friendliness. Commercially laundered diapers require a large electricity use. Users of home-washed reusable diapers can reduce impacts by reducing energy use in washing and drying. For disposables, the main impacts are in manufacture of the materials and production of the diaper.

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Given an equal diaper playing field, and given our inherent diapering prejudices, anything we can do to improve our diapering is good. You, Ian, are an illustration of how to improve the footprint of diapering choices. If the basic diapering choices are all the same planet-wise, then buying organic cotton, eschewing PVC wraps, and line-drying our diapers is clearly an improvement over the basics. In that regard, we can say yes, your particular habits are better than the typical diaper habit. How wonderful!

But what is the best thing we can do in terms of diapering, according to this advice columnist? Treat diapers as we would any laundry or paper product: Look for unbleached, organic, or recycled content; wash with cold water and less-toxic detergent if we are using cloth; and use less (ha!).Then stop worrying about diapers and look toward reducing our overall parenting carbon footprint in other areas. Having a kid adds miles to our cars and to our frequent flier accounts, increases our heating bill and water use, adds another probable meat-eater to the planet, and makes us use our electric appliances with fervor. There are many areas for clear improvement and urgent action as parents. Wouldn't it be a relief to lay down this one parenting worry? I plead with you all to set diaper obsession aside until we learn new information.

Nappily,
Umbra

Yours is to wonder why, hers is to answer (or try). Please send Umbra any nagging question pertaining to the environment -- but first check out her FAQs!

The claims made in this column may not reflect the views of this magazine. Neither the magazine nor the author guarantees that any advice contained in this column is wise or safe. Please use this column at your own risk.

Umbra Fisk is Grist Research Associate II, Hardcover and Periodicals Unit, floors 2B-4B.

Comments: (25 comments)

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diaper debate

Two cheers for Umbra! I'm tired of being chastised for not using cloth diapers. A parent should not be judged on what type of diaper they use and it seems that there is a lot of it going around these days. Being a mom to a 22 month old with another on the way plus starting a business, I don't have time to wash loads of cloth diapers and line dry them. However, I use my energy to become eco-friendly in other ways like buying organic and local foods when I can and not using chemicals to clean my house or do laundry. We are all trying to make a difference but can only do so much in one day.

by lnaerheim at 1:38 PM on 18 Jun 2008

Amen, and one to consider..

amen. We are all trying so hard, and with the economy today, if we are working parents (so many now HAVE to be), doing the best thing ALL the time isn't always possible. Could we possibly have a greater societal issue, in that we have made it impossible to stay home with our kids and have neighourhoods with kids growing up together?? (question for another day).

In the meantime, let me share with you what I did, as a humble, working (at home) mom who ALSO stayed home with her kids (doing double duty). as you can imagine, time is limited when you both work full time, and stay home with your kids full time (thank goodness i have a supportive partner!). My solution was that I 'succumbed' to disposable diapers when I had to, but I mixed it half and half with 'G-diapers', which are paper diapers with cloth covers - check them out online if you are curious.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in what's right, that we make it 'all or nothing', and you only succeed if you are 100% on whatever you try. How about we applaud the best we can do, and wherever we can make a difference we do? I know several families with similar situations, where they have used both cloth diapers, as well as disposables, and did the best they could. Yay for them! Do what you can, how you can, and if you can do better without hurting yourselves or your families, Do! No more hurting our friends and families with guilt trips and pushiness because of the very small 'diaper issue war'.

Happily almost 100% post-diaper issues!

Kari

by karimetzger at 3:44 PM on 18 Jun 2008

Effect of cloth diapers on toilet training

I would be interested to know if this study took into account the fact that (from what I understand) children who use cloth diapers are generally toilet-trained at an earlier age... and therefore use fewer diapers over their lifetimes.
If there is no significant difference in the impacts of the different types of diapers themselves, then clearly the fact that cloth-diapered babies use fewer diapers would make the cloth diapers superior.
Also, disposable/reusable hybrids such as gdiapers were not included.

by texasjenny at 3:51 PM on 18 Jun 2008

diapers

did the study look into the questioner's version of cloth, ie minimal chemicals in wash, cold water, air dry? or just the standard throw-them-in-hot-with-bleach-and-blast-to-dry?
my kids grew up on cloth. i made them hourglass shaped and stuffed extra layers of anything absorbant in the middle. one was trained at 15 months, one at 21 and one at 26. i believe that these relatively early trainings were because a wet or poopy cloth diaper doesn't feel good--no stay dry lining. they sag unattractively and noticeably. they leak around the edges, making the child uncomfortable and causing him/her to connect the act with the consequence.
old cloth diapers make great cleaning rags. cloth diapers can be made from sewing project scraps, terry towels, remnants, etc. the cost up front could be modest.
think of it as like recycling. it really isn't a big thing, but it makes a easy green statement; it doesn't take long once you establish a habit; and it is a gateway to other green habits.

by sustainablemer at 4:13 PM on 18 Jun 2008

the disposable mindset

Part of my decision to use cloth diapers has to do with staying away from the cultural norm of being a disposable society. I don't use paper plates or paper napkins, no matter how recyclable they are, because it's unnecessary to use something new all the time. Part of the problem with disposable diapers is starting a child in life with the model of use something once and throw it away.

Besides, I wear cloth underwear because it's more comfortable than paper. I figure my kid probably thinks the same thing. So, yes, I do opt for convenience and comfort in some things.

Cathy

by cathschuy at 4:27 PM on 18 Jun 2008

What if?

You buy your cloth diapers used, and reuse them over and over for multiple children, and continue to use them after you're done with kids either by selling them or using as dust rags or something? Is there ever a point where cloth will beat disposable? Because disposable only has so many chances to redeem itself.
Also, has it been taken into account that cloth diapered babies get less diaper rash, so less resources are used in the sale and manufacture of diaper rash cream?
On the other side, have they looked at all natural disposables, like Tushies? Do Tushies' lack of chemicals make them better than the traditional disposable, and therefore better than cloth?
Inquiring minds want to know.

by jessimonster at 4:33 PM on 18 Jun 2008

Wow

At some point people need to draw a line and not waste the time thinking about every minute detail in their life. Taking a couple of minutes to think about diapers is probably prudent but what's the point of saving the planet if you don't even take a few minutes to stop worrying about it and enjoy it? I think the study mentioned shows that this is definitely not an area to work to hard at reducing environmental impacts.

by boballen55 at 5:07 PM on 18 Jun 2008

another route

Of course, one way around this whole poopy mess is to not have kids...

by rosabetz at 5:10 PM on 18 Jun 2008

The Rest of the World

What about practicing elimination communication like the rest of world? Our use of diapers puts us in the minority. There is an alternative to the lazy Western practice of teaching our kids to soil themselves.

by barbiezee at 6:26 PM on 18 Jun 2008

choose your poison

Choose wisely: If the overall impacts are the same, then pick the choice whose particular TYPE or source of impact hurts your region the least

If you live in the desert where water is scarce, and landfill space plenty, then eschew the water usage of cloth and go for disposables

If you live in an urban area with overburdened landfill space and relatively plenty of water-go with the cloth and leave disposables on the shelf.

by Beccane at 7:46 PM on 18 Jun 2008

Common Sense

Thank you 'happynappy' for finding that link that shows the patent problems with the LCA report.

When I read this Ask Umbra post I couldn't believe my eyes. It simply goes against common sense to say that cloth nappies are just as bad as disposable nappies. I mean, come on! At a stretch we could say that wearing disposable underwear has the same environmental impact as wearing cloth underwear.

I read the study - so incredulous I was - and early on started raising my eyebrows. By section 3.2.1 I was laughing out loud.

I know it's cliche but indulge me. That study was the epitome of the quote, "there are lies, damn lies and statistics."

Simple common sense says that if you reuse things, especially non-biodegradable expensive things, you're doing yourself and the environment a favour. Of course you still have to be careful by washing at temps below 60 C and using environmental detergents and line dry. Using rice paper with cloth nappies (no it's not that uncomfortable, try it and compare it with wearing a disposable nappy) also means you don't have to wash nappies as often.

Cloth nappies aren't perfect but they ARE better than disposables in terms of saving money and being friendly to the environment. Anybody or company who says otherwise has other agenda, period.

And hey, Umbra, I love this column but next time try use several sources of research rather than just one study ; )

by jackdelpia at 1:41 AM on 19 Jun 2008

Desperado diaper ado

Support negative population growth. If you choose to raise a child, raise one. Whether cloth or disposable the savings to the environment will far outway the debate. Having one child or none is an effective way of saving money in these tough economic times. (Which can surely be linked to overpopulation). And thank you to all of you who choose not to have children.

by bailsout at 9:48 AM on 19 Jun 2008

The Landfill

Cutting down on landfill-bound trash is one of the biggest reasons to opt for cloth. Chemicals in disposable diapers leach into the soil, polluting groundwater; the plastic components take ages to break down; and the whole shebang, especially the more "soiled" disposables, releases methane into the atmosphere as it festers in our mega-fills. Methane is 20-plus times the heat trapper CO2 is, thus making an enormous impact on global warming when all is said and done.

Closing the diaper case before looking at the significance of the waste stream seems verrrrry shortsighted--out of sight, out of mind, indeed.

by jdriscoll at 11:59 AM on 21 Jun 2008

Cradle to Cradle diapers!

Everyone check out http://www.gdiapers.com/

These are the only diapers on the market that are certified by the cradle to cradle people. You have a reusable outer shell and a flushable interior. You can even throw out the used liners and they will decompose in the landfill because they contain no plastic.

So stop talking about cloth vs. disposable, and everyone go out and get some gDiapers!

by esekiel at 7:31 PM on 21 Jun 2008

Take a look at the study -- it's flawed.

I am amazed that Umbra quoted the conclusions of the study without taking a look at the study itself. The study has serious flaws, as other posters have noted. (For example, they compared the manufacturing impact of cloth vs disposables, even though the cloth nappies get used over and over and over! Not a valid comparison.)

by gzm at 11:50 AM on 22 Jun 2008

We use gdiapers, a great alternative!

Umbra, as jdriscoll pointed out, there is a great alternative with a lot less washing involved: gdiapers, which have flushable/compostable liners. I use these on my baby and compost the wet ones. Thus I only flush about one per day (in the newborn weeks it was more).

Although they're not perfect, I'm betting in another decade or two they'll be as leak-free and easy as disposables, which have had decades of development to improve. Hooray for gdiapers taking on the enormous challenge of a low-impact diaper, up against the disposables behemoth. (And yes, we do use disposables now and then when it's more convenient.)

by gzm at 11:56 AM on 22 Jun 2008

LCAs are rarely universally applicable

I struggled mightily with this issue last year in preparing a blog article on Mabesa's announcement that they would market an "environment-friendly" diaper throughout Latin America (the regional focus of my blog). As part of the prep, I looked at what LCAs exist on the subject. And I'll repeat something that I pointed out last year: whether you think the LCA is well-done and complete or not, it usually only applies to where it was done and the local factors utilized. So a LCA done in the UK might not be fully valid for, say, midwest USA or Australia.

This is even more the case when looking at developing nations such as those in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). LCA's on diapers that I have seen assume certain energy and water consumption rates, availability of sewage treatment, waste collection and disposal services, and other factors that can differ significantly in the LAC context.

For example, when a study assumes a certain usage of the household clothes washer to launder cloth diapers and the average water and energy efficiency those washers have, what happens in places in LAC where many households do not even have a washer, and if they do, they have an older, less efficient model? Or what is the risk of water and air contamination from soiled disposable diapers in LAC nations where uncontrolled dumps are the norm rather than sanitary landfills? Or can you assume it is environmentally preferable to remove fecal matter from diapers and flush it down household toilets (assuming they have a working one, not always the case) when the sewage in that city is not actually treated, or is treated in only the most rudimentary fashion? How does the fact that the household may only have running water and working electricity a few hours in the day (as in many parts of the Dominican Republic) affect the calculations?

My own intuitive guess is that in most circumstances, a complete LCA utilizing the conditions common in LAC nations would find reusable cloth diapers environmentally preferable to disposables, even partially biodegradable diapers with organic cotton in them (such as Mabesa is promoting), except in areas where water conservation is a significant concern. But I don't have the data to back that up -- not yet, at least.

by ioman01 at 10:15 AM on 23 Jun 2008

The Eastern Alternative

Umbra's original column on this subject raised an alternative that has not yet reached the west - no diapers. While traveling in China during the Chinese New Year, my travel guide/niece pointed out that babies do not wear diapers. They instead have a trap door - a vertical opening where one side slightly overlaps the other so as to keep out the the Beijing-in-February bitter cold. The baby could be held over a toilet grasping both sides of the opening and spreading.
I am not a parent, and I don't know all the details. At the entrance to the Forbidden City, the grounds were packed (everyone is on holiday for more than a week during the new year - another fine idea!) with local families with their wee ones. There were no panicking parents or babies pooping all over the lawn. There were also no strollers. Hm. Can a billion Chinese be wrong?

by jmacncheese at 10:01 AM on 02 Jul 2008

are puppies smarter than kids?

We potty-train puppies. Are kids less capable?

Or are parents unwilling to learn training techniques? Are we underestimating the trainability of children?

by dreamer at 8:22 PM on 05 Jul 2008

Diapers

I am a confirmed cloth fan. Regardless, I wonder why I don't see any comments about what disposable diapers do in terms of landfill space. Also they are using up valuable resources and then just thrown into the landfill. I get that people have been brainwashed into thinking that cloth diapers are hard to use, disgusting and gross, and generally impossible. I bet those people have never tried cloth. I used them for 2 kids and found them easier (truly) to use than disposables. They compare more favorably with disposables, than line drying does to using a dryer. Both are great for the environment. Oh, and I confirm the earlier potty training.

Ann Rosenthal

by anrosenthal at 9:14 PM on 15 Jul 2008

And the oil?

I am new to this so please accept an apology if this has already been discussed but in the debate between organic clothe and plastic diapers isn't there a difference in the amount of oil needed?
Thanks, Jillan

by Jillan at 9:03 AM on 26 Aug 2008

potty training too early is unfair

Actually, there is a difference in potty training pups and babies. Babies bladder muscles are not able to be voluntarily controlled for quite some time, and it requires an even longer time to gain voluntary control of the spincter required to retain feces. This is why it is so critical to not push children to potty train too early-they physically cannot do it.

by Jillan at 9:07 AM on 26 Aug 2008
[ Parent ]

e.c. is a gift

We are practicing elimination communication. We started when our baby was around 6 months. We still use diapers but WAY less than the norm. SO to answer you post, some American's get it.

by TreeV at 5:31 AM on 19 Sep 2008
[ Parent ]

I own a diaper service and would like to weigh-in

Hello,

I get a weary of this notion that something that is used for an hour or so and then thrown in the trash ,and in Seattle's case taken to Eastern Oregon for final disposal, can be better for the environment than something that is natural and re-usable. The UK study that you site in your article needs to taken with a grain of salt. For instance did you know that the researchers only surveyed 3 households who washed their own diapers? Or that these households used less than efficient laundry equipment and that they washed and dried fleech diapers (which are more difficult to dry)? Furthermore, the study did not compare any professional diaper services. A primary advantage to our model is that we get amazing "Economies of Scale" when processing our diapers, which allows us the most efficient method available for washing and drying diapers. Plus we deliver our diapers in Bio-diesel powered vans and use a minimum of environmentally-friendly cleaning agents!

I was taught as a kid that "Figures don't lie, but liers can figure". Did you know that ALL of the studies done in the United States were funded and reviewed by Proctor & Gamble and the disposable diaper industry? It's very easy to make a study reach any conclusion you want, all you need to do is manipulate the assumptions that you base your study on. It's little wonder that these studies drew the conclusions that they did. Umbra - I would challenge you to do the research necessary to truly make an objective conclusion on this debate.

by BLUESKY235 at 3:27 PM on 24 Oct 2008

revised report into washable/disposables debate

am new to this site and just stumbled on this

so - are you eating humble pie now the study you mention has been redone properly and shown washable nappies are (surprise surprise, hold onto your hats) better for the environment than dispies?

by polska at 2:35 PM on 12 Nov 2008

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On the never-ending diaper ado