Sometimes the cloth does not make the baby

A new study on diapers finds no difference between cloth and paper 8

Ok, that's a dumb headline. But the problem itself -- whether to diaper my babies with cloth or disposables -- was one I spent a bit of time agonizing over.

But perhaps I shouldn't have. A new study commissioned by the British Environment Agency (reported on here and here) suggests there's almost no difference between the two, at least in terms of environmental impacts. Which is roughly the same answer that this 1992 study, at the website of our friends at the Institute for Lifecycle Energy Analysis, came to.

The British study made some suggestions for ways that both disposables and cloth diapers could be improved, to reduce their impacts: for people who wash theyir own diapers, that means reducing washing temperature, using efficient washers, and line drying for home-washed cloth diapers. (Which, of course, is good advice for all your washing, not just diapers.)

Clark Williams-Derry is research director for the Seattle-based Sightline Institute, a nonprofit sustainability think tank working to promote smart solutions for the Pacific Northwest. He was formerly the webmaster for Grist.

Related Stories

Advertisement
Advertisement

  1. Bobbi Katsanis Posted 5:46 am
    20 May 2005

    A bum rap, indeedThe study is, unfortunately, flawed. Disposables and cloth are NOT equal. Here's why:


    The study compared the resources used to make disposables and cloth diapers, without weighting the results to account for the fact that disposables are used once (400,000 tons of landfill in the UK alone is a LOT, people, and it's hazardous waste, too) and cloth diapers can be used almost forever (my best friend's mom still uses hers, 35 years old and counting, to dust furniture).
    The study also gave equal weight to production, disposal and maintenance variables that are controlled by the producer and by the user. If all parents using cloth diapers only ever washed the diapers in cold water with a full washer, POOF! there's no comparison in environmental impact.


    An added note: in the Winona LaDuke Reader, there's a charming essay exhorting Anishinabeg and other First Nations peoples to go back to moss.

    Permalink

  2. jdhlax Posted 3:43 am
    21 May 2005

    Don't Forget Renewable EnergyAnother reason the study reached incorrect results is that it failed to consider the use of solar or wind energy to wash & dry the diapers, or to consider just hanging the diapers out to dry.  This is the kind of result you get when small minded, non-environmentalists prepare a study!

    Permalink

  3. Treefrognc Posted 7:35 am
    24 May 2005

    Another thing to considerThe study did not go into the effects the plastic and chemicals that go into a disposable diaper have on your child. It may seem little, but that, with the plastic bottles, and all the cleaning supplies around the house add up. And we wonder what is wrong with our children today.

    Permalink

  4. Bobbi Katsanis Posted 2:14 am
    26 May 2005

    HeadlinesA more responsible headline for this story might have read "Study Shows Parents Must Wash Cloth Nappies Responsibly to Achieve Environmental Impact." As it is, millions of parents are going to bed thinking, "Well, that's all right then," and merrily continuing to cast 10,000 disposable diapers per child--some filled with hazardous waste--into landfills. Those of a more mean-spirited cast are going to bed thinking, "Ha, those environmentalist wackos are wrong about this, too."
    And they say the media has a liberal bias!

    Permalink

  5. jmack Posted 7:30 pm
    28 Jul 2005

    commentLike the other side of many issues are on the web yet still not seen by the majority. LINKhttp://www.yahoo.com

    Permalink

  6. zenmommato4 Posted 10:27 pm
    19 May 2008

    I dont believe itThis is why!I have 4 kids cloth diapered them all and reused the diapers on each child I still an cloth diapering 2 right now. cloth is reusable and a one time manufactured thing. you can also buy your whole stash of diapers used which means that one less person is buying a newly manufactured cloth diaper. Did I also mention that many women make and sell cloth diapers from their own homes too which arent hugely manufactured dipes. there is a whole community out there diaperswappers.com where used dipes and accessories are resold. I also would think that cotton and other fibers would biodegrade faster than disposables which take hundreds of yrs to biodegrade. Lastly...I want to add that most of the moms I know who do use cloth are eco minded in MANY other ways...I should know I'm one of them and since you may be wondering...yes my washer and dryer are energy efficent...LOL!

    Permalink

  7. zenmommato4 Posted 10:30 pm
    19 May 2008

    to addOh and I wanted to also add about wool covers they only need washed out by hand every so often and hung dry only.....so if you go cotton prefolds and wool lanolized covers you are saving mad energy right there. Ok I think I am done now :-) just wanted to educate everyone even though I know this is an old topic

    Permalink

  8. zenmommato4 Posted 10:31 pm
    19 May 2008

    to addOh and I wanted to also add about wool covers they only need washed out by hand every so often and hung dry only.....so if you go cotton prefolds and wool lanolized covers you are saving mad energy right there. Ok I think I am done now :-) just wanted to educate everyone even though I know this is an old topic

    Permalink

Add a Comment

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Hello, Visitor!    Why not register?

Viewed
More
Commented
More
Advertisement