Unfortunately, there are those who regard cloth diapering as a phenomena of the undeveloped world despite the serious problem of toxic chemicals in disposable diapers. This makes me wonder, “How did we ever become so dependent on them in the first place?”
The effects of aggressive marketing campaigns driven by a fast-paced society are keeping the diaper manufactures ahead of the game. Jia Lynn Yang of CNNMoney.com reported in her article “Designing the iPhone of Diapers,” that Kimberly-Clark, makers of Huggies, sold $4.2 billion worth of diapers in 2007 alone. [1] Proctor and Gamble (P&G) reported in 2005 their top selling brand, Pampers to be a $6 billion brand. [2]
Business consultant Maggie Gainer recalls her experience with diaper manufacturers in the early 90s while working to promote cloth diapers. “They were introducing new parents to disposable diapers with free samples when their babies were born and producing tender and touching television commercials about how diapering your baby in plastic and paper throwaway diapers was a loving choice made to benefit the environment for your baby’s future.” [3] Although “green washing” of disposable diapers by manufacturers has been sanctioned in the past [4], they still continue to do it today, only globally. Recently, P&G announced a new Pampers Web site where parents can “find information about Pampers’ support of charities around the world and how Pampers is contributing to the well-being of the environment.” [5]
Interestingly, I found that reports in favor or that are neutral abound, but those were unbalanced and often overlooked the very crucial issue of the extremely toxic chemicals found in disposables in their comparisons, superficially concluding that no one diaper system is better than another. [6]
Cloth diapers offer a very real advantage to our children. Unfortunately, it seems that our fast-paced lives in our fast-paced world have led us to compromise the quality of that very life by making us blindly dependent on convenience despite potential harms to our children.
I can understand that the convenience of a throwaway diaper is like a dream come true for many busy parents. On the other hand, considering that washers and dryers are used widely now, it’s difficult for me to think of a reason why I should not be able to wash my baby’s underwear in the same way I would wash her clothes.
Knowing that my daughter’s diapers won’t be sitting in a landfill polluting the earth is satisfying, but knowing that she is a little more protected from unnecessary contaminants by wearing cloth diapers is priceless.
Sources:
1. Yang, Jia Lynn. “Designing the iPhone of Diapers.” CNNMoney.com. Aug. 25, 2008, [Accessed Nov. 26, 2008] money.cnn.com/2008/08/22/news/companies/yang_diaper.fortune/index.htm
2. Proctor and Gamble 2005 Annual Report. P1. [Accessed Nov. 26, 2008] pg.com/annualreports/2005/pdf/pg2005annualreport.pdf
3. Gainer, Maggie. “Trust vs. Watermelons” Times-Standard Online. Oct. 5, 2008, [Accessed November 12, 2008]times-standard.com/ci_10643650?sources=rss
4. “The Politics of Diapers: A Timeline of Recovered History,” Mothering.com Issue 116, Jan.–Feb. 2003. 3 Nov. 2008 mothering.com/articles/new_baby/diapers/politics.html
5. “Pampers® Launches New ‘Pampers Village’ at Pamper.com” The Wall Street Journal. Press Release. Nov. 13, 2008 [Accessed Nov. 26, 2008] pg.com/annualreports/2005/pdf/pg2005annualreport.pdfhttp://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/pampersr-launches-new-pampers-village/story.aspx?guid=%7B72F64964%2D3F0E%2D4B52%2D9AC9%2DB633266D4544%7D
6. Smith, Joyce A., and Pitts, Norma. “The Diaper Decision—Not a Clear Issue” [Accessed Nov. 26, 2008] Mindfully.org/Plastic/Diaper-Not-Clear.htm
