Use 24 washable nappies rather than 5000 disposables per baby saving 200kgs CO2e and a mountain of nappy waste. 

Real nappies have come a long way since the days of terry towelling squares, with shaped and fitted, easy to use nappies in attractive designs and fabrics including cotton, silk, wool and bamboo,

Washable nappies save waste, up to 40% of the emissions and a lot of money. Disposable nappies are made of paper pulp, plastics and super-absorbent chemicals and many people choose real nappies for a more natural alternative.

Using real nappies puts you in control of your carbon emissions as it is the way in which you care for them which determines the impact. 

You can wash your own or, in some areas, use a laundry service which delivers a supply of freshly laundered nappies to your home every week. 

Washing soiled nappies at 60^oC is all you need for home use and you can throw wet nappies in with the rest of your laundry at 40^oC.     

A laundry service will wash nappies at 72^oC, the temperature used by hospitals to prevent cross infection. 

You can limit the climate impact of your baby's nappies by: 

• Line drying outside whenever possible
• Tumble drying as little as possible
• When replacing your washing appliances, choosing energy efficient A+ rated machines
• Not washing above 60^oC
• Washing full loads
• Reusing nappies on another baby