Conclusion: POSSIBLE.
Truth: It depends. The negative impacts of cloth and disposable diapers are about equal, according to a comprehensive study by Britain’s Environment Agency. The EA life-cycle assessment found that an average baby in conventional disposables (notorious for clogging up landfills) produced global warming impacts equivalent to about 1,213 pounds of carbon dioxide. Babies in conventional cloth diapers — which are often washed in hot water and dried at high heat — created 1,257 pounds of CO2.
But don’t get bummed. Simple steps can green the bottom line for both types of diapers. If you choose cloth (and your budget allows), buy organic cotton diapers. Wash them with eco-friendly detergent in an energy-efficient washing machine. Air-dry diapers when possible or use your dryer's moisture sensor option so it shuts off automatically when the load is dry. Avoid gas-guzzling diaper services.
If you choose disposables, try the green varieties from companies like Seventh Generation, Tushies, or Nature Babycare. Or use a hybrid system, with organic cotton on the outside and biodegradable, chlorine-free flushable liners inside, sold by gDiapers, Bummis, Kushies, and others. And avoid diaper guilt, advises earth-friendly pediatrician Alan Greene. Whether babes wear cloth or disposable, their nappie impact is only equivalent to using about 54 gallons of gasoline a year. If you want to erase the diaper debt, take a few easy counter-measures like driving less aggressively (to save about 125 gallons of gas a year); tuning up your car (saving 165 gallons a year); or bicycling.
Have a friend who swears turning off the light when you leave a room actually wastes energy? Does your uncle tell you Hummers are more eco-friendly than hybrids? Whatever the eco myth, we'll help you get to the bottom of it. Submit your myth to SustainLane Greenbusters.
Hannah D. says:
I chose to use cloth diapers for my child for a number of reasons. Since I used organic cotton diapers, soaked them in vinegar and washed them in my HE washer using eco-friendly detergent, I do believe they were less damaging to the environment than disposables. But here is the real reason: Cloth diapers were my child's first lesson in sustainability. I wanted him to learn right from the start that we don't want to use something once and throw it away. It seems to have worked. Now, at 5, he is the one who will make sure that we use rags instead of paper towels, and that we bring cloth bags to the store. Sometimes it is good to think beyond the numbers to the messages we want to send to our children.
Stephanie P. says:
I agree with Hannah, there is more to this story than mere pounds of CO2. What about the petrochemical plastics that will sit forever in these landfills, poisoning our soil and air? Is everyone really OK with that? Saving the planet involves a holistic approach, there is no simple and easy answer that mere carbon footprints calculations will give us.
An average baby goes through 5,000 diapers, and that doesn't include the packaging, the transportation costs, and the health factors as well. I've read and heard from friends, how much faster a baby will toilet train because they can feel the wetness. How there is virtually no 'diaper rash' with organic cloth diapers. I would never want petro-plastic next to my baby's skin. Ideally cloth diapers would be washed using energy from solar panels, which is what I hope to do.
Colin T. says:
I agree with Stephanie about the chemical crap in conventional disposable diapers needing to be factored in here as well -- and while some diaper services may be gas guzzling, they aren't necessarily. Living in Toronto, many of my friends with kids have chosen to use diaper services in part because their diaper washing was, in fact, more energy and water efficient than washing them at home -- and the convenience made them much more likely to use the cloth diapers, while the density of urban form there meant the delivery service didn't need to drive that far. (Of course, the cotton itself may not be a particularly eco-friendly crop, but, again, there are counter-measures -- and perhaps we can work on better cotton agroecologies.)
AngryBeaver says:
Anything is a landfill doesn't poison our soil and water. Even produce and perishable foods will pretty much last forever in a landfill. No oxygen = no aerobic bacteria = no biodegradation. More emphasis should be placed on conserving energy and reducing emmissions than diverting materials from landfills.