Plastic or Cloth Nappies?
Should your new baby wear plastic or cloth nappies?
What THEY #doDifferent
More specifically, how much of an environmental impact does using plastic or cloth nappies have on our world? It's a question that's been topical for awhile now. So, if you'd like to find out the real story once and for all, read the article below.
With conventional nappies taking centuries to biodegrade, many parents are looking for eco-friendly alternatives. Cloth nappies are the obvious choice, but few parents manage to use them exclusively and convenience means that even the most eco-conscious of parents fall back on disposables from time to time. Enter Kit & Kin. Their eco nappies are more gentle for baby and kinder on the environment.
Formed from sustainable resources, using chlorine-free pulp with adorable designs printed with vegetable dyes, great care has been taken to ensure that these nappies are reassuringly green. Whether parents decide to go exclusively Kit & Kin or use them alongside cloth nappies, there is no denying that this is a convenient and ecologically sound alternative to the regular nappies that are steadily building up in landfill.
As well as these revolutionary new nappies, Kit & Kin also produce completely biodegradable baby wipes made from sustainably harvested fibres. In keeping with the Kit & Kin philosophy, these gentle wipes contain no harsh chemicals and are packed with soothing botanical ingredients instead. The natural mum and baby skincare range is also free from toxins and harsh synthetic ingredients.
We were lucky enough to spend an afternoon with the founders of Kit & Kin; Spice Girl, UNICEF ambassador and radio presenter Emma Bunton and Director of Product Development Christopher Money who has a rich history in the world of maternity and children's products. They were both brimming with excitement about their new enterprise, which is clearly coming from a mutual desire to protect the world for future generations.
Emma "We wanted to come up with something that was eco-friendly, biodegradable, natural... all of the things that we feel really passionately about. Being a parent, I just wanted to change a few things. My boys have eczema. I needed a natural product. I've learnt so much from my boys, they have been a wonderful inspiration and they have helped with some of the colours and the bottles and the branding so they have been everything to me."
Christopher has been in the industry for 15 years. He got into it through his dad, who had a factory in South Wales making breast pads and maternity pads. Christopher than spent 10 years representing a major nappy manufacturer, developing products for them. He got increasingly more frustrated that they didn't adopt a more natural approach and decided it was time to take things into his own hands. He met Emma three years ago through a mutual friend and decided to combine forces to create something that could make a real difference to the future of the planet.
Emma "It was a long process because I'm quite bossy. I had a vision. I knew exactly how I wanted it to be and what we wanted to represent. Christopher has been so inspiring, and he knows a lot. The one thing that most stood out for me, from our initial chat is that we throw away 8 million nappies a day in the UK alone, one of those nappies takes 500 years to biodegrade. Our nappies take 3-6, so it's a huge difference. I also learnt through Christopher how the chemicals in nappies can cause nappy rash. My mind was blown by all of these facts that he was coming out with and I thought we have to do something. We have to make a change! That's when we came together and created Kit & Kin."
As well as significantly reducing the amount of waste in landfill, Emma and Christopher have taken things a step further. For every 10 nappies subscriptions they purchase one acre of the rainforest.
Christopher "A lot of people may not appreciate the importance of the rainforest but it's a vital ecosystem. Around 25% of all medications around the world today originated in the rainforest, yet only 1% of the rainforest has been analysed for its medicinal benefits. With the current rate of deforestation, in 40-50 years it's going to be gone. It's scary! What we can do is raise awareness. I always have in my mind, that if we can get to a point where 50,000 mums are buying our nappies that is 5000 acres of the rainforest that we'd be buying every year, so that's a little bit of a difference."
Kit & Kin have already won multiple awards and Christopher's determination to make a difference is not going to stop at the current range of Kit & Kin eco nappies. He has plans to eventually develop nappies that can be used as a renewal energy source. As a father of two, his commitment to ecological is coming from a place of genuine love. We're really excited to see how Kit & Kin continues to develop.
If you'd like to try Kit & Kin nappies, their monthly subscription service is cost effective as well as convenient. Get nine other friends on board and that's another acre of rainforest saved from destruction. You can buy their nappies, wipes, skincare and babywear directly from the website www.kitandkin.com as well as many other stores, such as Ethical Superstore and Spirit of Nature.
Brought to you by: Different Life
