Did you know...

There are some nappy brands in the UK which claim to have a high biodegradable content, but these nappies are not necessarily a better option for your baby or for the environment.

The facts as we know them today...

Eco nappies claim to be better for the environment as they have a higher percentage of biodegradable material in them. This is largely due to an increased amount of wood pulp in the nappy and a reduced amount of superabsorbent material. However, as Eco nappies contain much more wood pulp it makes them much heavier and bulkier which results in fewer nappies per pack and therefore more trucks on the road.

Modern disposable nappies, like Huggies®, contain a superabsorbent material which allows urine to be efficiently absorbed and locked into the nappy, keeping moisture away from your baby's skin and helping to keep it dry and healthy. Whereas Eco nappies, which have less superabsorbent, can result in more moisture being closer to your baby's skin.

Also depending on how your local council disposes of your waste, there may be little difference in the impact of nappies claiming to be biodegradable and those that don't make this claim - for example:

- if your local council incinerates your waste, then both types of nappy will be compatible with this.

- if your local council uses a modern style of containment landfill which aims to cut out oxygen then only anaerobic biodegradation will occur and both nappy types will degrade very slowly over many years.

This problem of slow degradation in landfill extends to all of your household waste and not just nappies.

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