Cloth or Disposable Diapers: Which is the Better Environmental Choice?

Many people don't consider diapers to be a debate at all - according to ABC News 95% of Americans diaper their babies in disposables. However, in the environmental community this issue seems to be considered in some ways a litmus test for whether or not a person is as "green" as they claim. The data supporting this perception is quite conflicting. A survey of the literature on diapering choices seems to expose two very different interpretations of the same data. Although nearly every article surveyed referenced nearly the same small set of research, the interpretation of the data seemed to be dependent on the bias of the organization interpreting the data. In general, environmental groups and manufacturers of cloth diapers see the data as supporting cloth while disposable diaper manufacturers see the same data set as supporting the case for disposable diapers. This article will attempt to summarize these research finding and analyze the multiple points of view on this issue.

The Facts

Neither cloth nor disposable diaper manufacturers dispute the fact that diapering a baby uses a great deal of resources. Neither is there much argument about the facts surrounding diaper production and disposal. All of my sources agree that:

Disposable diapers make up about 2.4 percent of waste sent to landfills

Disposable diapers use more paper pulp (a renewable resource)

Disposable diapers use more petroleum derived plastics (a non renewable resource) than cloth diapers

This data, taken from a 1997 Vegetarian Times article, would seem to suggest that cloth diapers are the natural choice for the green consumer. However, sources also agree that:

Conventionally grown cotton is one of the most resource and pesticide intensive crops in the world

Cloth diapers use twice as much energy as disposables

Cloth diapers use fifty percent more water than disposables

The Case for Disposables

Disposable diaper advocates argue that 2% of the waste stream is really too small a number to worry about. After all, disposable diapers are just a tiny part of our landfills. Newspaper and corrugated cardboard make up 4.6 and 8% respectively. This does seem to be an argument worth considering. If a household is throwing out pounds of newspaper and other potentially recyclable materials a week, perhaps cloth diapering is not most important place to start conservation measures.

Many of the articles written by mainstream media seemed to come to the consensus that if cloth and disposable diapers were roughly equivalent, a person might as well choose disposable. It is interesting to consider why the default position, if the two are roughly equal, was always disposable. This seems to reveal a (not very hidden) perception on the part of mainstream that the only people who cloth diaper as extremists. Extremists of a very benign and peaceable nature, but extremists none the less!

The Case for Cloth

I expected to find a solid, factual set of data clearly proving that cloth diapers were the superior environmental choice. No cloth diaper advocate I consulted argued the basic facts presented above. They merely choose to argue the interpretation of these facts.

The one area in which statistics were the most variable was in the energy and water consumed by washing diapers. Energy use was dependent on a number of factors, such as whether or not a diaper service was used, whether bleach or phosphate containing detergents were used, the water temperature used to wash diapers, and whether washers and driers used were energy efficient.

Certainly if a family is using ancient, energy sucking appliances disposables may indeed be a better choice. However it is equally true that if a family has made all efforts to be energy efficient in their appliance purchase and use as well as an effort to minimize the use of harmful cleaning products, cloth diapers would probably edge out disposables in terms of resource use. Additionally, a family could reduce the environmental impact of their cloth diapers by choosing diapers made from organically farmed cotton.

Data seemed to support the idea that using a cloth diaper service was the most environmentally sound practice in term of cloth diapers. Economy of scale allows diaper services to more efficiently use resources. However, a diaper service may not be an option for many parents. An internet search of several Yellow Pages websites revealed that the closest diaper service to Lombard, Illinois (my home) was in

Waukegan
, Illinois
. If the

Chicago

suburbs have such a lack of diaper services I cannot imagine smaller towns removed from a major metro area would have any more luck.

A great weakness on the part of the cloth diaper advocates was an over reliance on emotionally loaded presentations of non-causal evidence. While there are many factors in our lives which may hold the potential for harm, it is irresponsible to present as fact dangers that are unproven. Many cloth diaper advocates presented as fact things that have not been shown to have a causal relationship. For example, several articles noted that the super-absorbent material used in diapers is the same material that, used in tampons, has been linked to the potentially fatal Toxic Shock Syndrome in women. What these articles failed to note is that the absorbent materials have never been shown to be linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome when used in a diaper. Stating unproven facts in a way that implies causality weakens the position of the cloth diaper advocates. When links are suggested but not proven they should be stated as such, allowing the consumer to determine if the risk is acceptable or not.

Other Alternatives

There are a few options other than conventional disposable or cloth diapers. Seventh Generation produces a line of more green disposable diapers which are chlorine free. This is probably a better choice than conventional disposable diapers. The only environmental claim Seventh Generation makes regarding this product related to chlorine and dioxin. Paper pulp and petroleum usage is not discussed in their literature; presumably it is comparable to conventional disposables.

Knowaste is a company that is attempting to make disposable diaper recycling commercially viable. Their website (www.knowaste.com) discusses the potentials of this technology. Diaper recycling was undertaken on a pilot basis in

Santa Clarita
, California
but was not continued. Knowaste's efforts seem to be focused in

Europe

. To the best of my knowledge, no diaper recycling or composting facilities exist on a commercial scale in the .

Conclusion

Cloth diapers with a diaper service seem to be the best environmental choice assuming that a service is available in your area.

Cloth diapers cleaned at home seems to be the most economical choice. Depending on each family's appliances and washing techniques, it may also be a more responsible environmental choice.

If a family is washing at a Laundromat or with inefficient appliances, disposable diapers are probably a more responsible environmental choice.

If a family chooses to use disposables, green choices (such as Seventh Generation) are more environmentally sound. However, their expense may not make them a practical choice for many families.

The general conclusion to be gathered from this data is that diaper lifecycle analysis is complicated and difficult. In the end cloth diapers seem to have a slight advantage over disposables. In the end, all groups seemed to agree that parents should not feel guilty about their choice, whatever it may be. However, each family should assess the impact of their diaper choice within the context of their lifestyle and budget before making a choice.