Pura, the eco-friendly baby products company, is launching a two-pronged attack on the environmental impact of disposable nappies, by launching its own range of environmentally friendly nappies and by working with the UK’s only nappy recycling company – NappiCycle - to keep disposable nappies out of landfill and instead turn them into notice boards, road surfaces and materials for affordable houses.
Ezra Fennell with Pura nappies created by his mum and dad
The Issue
The UK throws away around three billion disposable nappies annually, and 400,000 tonnes of disposable nappy waste ends up in landfill each year. Many disposable nappies contain absorbent polymers, polypropylene, adhesives, elastics and pulp, usually sourced from unsustainably logged forests. Once these dirty nappies are thrown out, they can last for up to 500 years in landfill, emitting harmful greenhouse gases.
Pura’s Solution
The latest new arrivals from Pura, its eco-friendly nappies, are the most affordable disposable eco nappies available in the UK. They are created with 100% green electricity and no production waste and their super absorbent core is made with certified natural plant fibres. They are made from soft organic cotton, with channel technology that quickly draws moisture away from the skin, and they contain no nasty chemicals, perfumes or allergens. They are also approved by Allergy UK and are dermatologically and clinically tested, so they’re skin-friendly and safe for babies’ bottoms. Wrapped in 100% recyclable PE packaging, the nappies have been awarded the EU Ecolabel, so they meet the highest environmental standards.
The nappies follows the huge success of Pura’s 100% plastic-free, 100% compostable and biodegradable baby wipes, which attracted more than 250,000 visits to the website in the first month of launch in June, with 45,000 customer orders placed. Just like the wipes, Pura nappies will be available on subscription with a discount, and are available with free next-day delivery: Pura Eco Nappies. The nappies are competitively priced to match non-eco branded alternatives, while being cheaper than other eco nappies, with prices from just 12.8p per nappy.
Alongside the nappies launch, Pura has partnered with NappiCycle in providing a kerbside nappy collection and recycling service for 22 local authorities in Wales, with the ambition to make nappy recycling the norm across the whole of the UK. In the last year alone, NappiCycle diverted more than 8,000 tonnes – the equivalent of 40 million nappies - from landfill in Wales. Pura and NappiCycle are planning to start discussions with local authorities in England about piloting the scheme
An impressive 100% of the soiled nappies processed by NappiCycle are recycled, so nothing is sent to landfill. The nappies are collected and cleansed, with the plastics and cellulose fibres separated for re-use. The cellulose fibres are used in the manufacturing of packaging, notice boards for schools and offices, and as materials for affordable houses such as panelling, under laminate flooring and other insulation. The plastics are sent to secondary re-processers for recycling. NappiCycle even reutilises the urine extracted from the nappies.
Guy Fennell, co-founder of Pura, comments: “We’re fortunate to be working with NappiCycle on a joint mission to make change. We want to put a kerbside nappy recycling scheme in place in the UK and we’re working to convince a local authority in England to do a trial with NappiCycle with a goal to roll this out in the whole of the UK. We believe our goal is achievable.”
“Our new nappy launch is part of our two-pronged attack on disposable nappies going to landfill. Until now, the only choice has been between nappies that do the job but harm the planet, or potentially leaky nappies that are eco-friendly. Our nappies will be the most affordable disposable eco nappy available in the UK, making it easier for parents to make a switch to an affordable nappy that doesn’t harm the planet. But we’re not stopping there – we’re working with universities on developing nappies from new biodegradable materials. Realistically that’s probably a few years away, so in the meantime we’re working with NappiCycle to provide a recycling service to reduce the amount of nappies going to landill.”
NappiCycle’s founder, Rob Poyer, comments: “We have chosen to work with Pura to see how we can make nappies more sustainable in terms of their recyclability. We feel that Pura’s nappies are the most sustainable nappies in terms of being able to reprocess.”