diaper composting

It was during this time that Procter and Gamble, the makers of Pampers and Luvs, launched a very effective advertising campaign that targeted the cloth diaper industry and confused the public. In one of their ads, they claimed that their diapers were partially biodegradable and could be used as composting fertilizer, even though most states did not have diaper-composting facilities for single-use diapers. In other advertisements and press releases, they questioned all aspects of the reusable diaper industry: for example the chemicals and pesticides that were used in growing cotton, the water used to wash diapers, and even the gasoline used by diaper delivery trucks. This media attack greatly harmed the diaper service industry. Says Shiffert, “Disposable diaper companies had money to conduct research and promote their product, and the diaper services could not fight them”.

throwaway diapers

This backlash has had a lasting impact on the mainstream consciousness in the U.S. As a result of this continued campaign by the disposable diaper industry to create the illusion of equality, most parents in the U.S. do not think there is a difference between cloth or throwaway diapers when it comes to environmental impact. The market has changed, and diaper services are not as popular a choice. There are many reasons for this. The throwaway diaper industry has a massive advertising budget, while surviving diaper services usually have no budget for advertising or promotion. Disposable diaper makers have television spots, print ads, and access to new parents in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and supermarkets. Very few hospitals encourage new parents to use cloth diapers, and it is unheard of for supermarkets to carry them. Also, because so many diaper services have gone out of business, it is often a challenge for the remaining services to adequately meet the needs of their existing customers. When diaper services go out of business, the delivery areas for the remaining services get larger. This can often mean that prices increase to those outlying areas.

diapers through

Unfortunately, it is possible that the main reason diaper services have lost popularity is that most people do not see an environmental difference between cloth and disposable diapers, and they view disposable diapers as the more convenient option. According to Judy Aagard of Tiny Tots, the biggest challenge facing diaper services today is a misconception that single use diapers are more convenient. “Many consumers seem to think that because a diaper is more absorbent and can be thrown away, it is easier. Disposable diapers need to be rinsed prior to disposing since it is unsanitary to throw human waste in landfills and it is unsanitary for babies to sit in a solid diaper through several urinations, but they tend to because of the super absorbency of the chemically induced disposables,” Aagard says.