Freiburg: Germany's futuristic city set in a forest

I see you don't have kids. Even with one, even when we tried to go as eco-friendly way as possible (including using washable diapers with washable paper inserts), there are limits.

Eco wash liquids are not as effective, so you end up sometimes washing twice (what's eco about that?).

Washable diapers are much less absorbent compared to regular ones, so its not an option for us for night - baby skin would be highly irritated the next morning. Same goes for more liquid poop - it would overflow very easily. And so on.

If you are en eco fanatic, then you can go that way, but in our case it would mean actively hurting our baby.

Are you Procter and Gamble??

The argument for and against reusable is pretty much undecided. There also services which do the washing for you. And they are probably way more efficient than people washing at home in terms of energy used.

Anyhow, real eco-parents go diaper-less as most parents in the world. Google split-pants, elimination communication! Compared to this letting children sitting in their own feces in reusable or not-reusable nappies is pretty unhygienic.

Downvotes? I know it is a big leap for the western mind, that most human ever lived have never seen a nappy. There is a lot of problems with diapers e.g. rash etc.

The main threat to the planet is CO2 and human generated climate change.

How many people can find, and understand, the information about CO2 use across the total life of disposable nappies Vs cotton nappies?

EDIT: here's an example analysis. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/...

It's 37 pages of detailed information that looks at the total life-cycle.

> The average 2006 disposable nappy would result in a global warming impact of approximately 550kg of carbon dioxide equivalents used over the two and a half years a child is typically in nappies. The global warming impact from disposable nappies use has decreased since the previous study due to manufacturing changes and a 13.5 per cent reduction in the weight of nappies.

> The report highlights that the manufacture of disposable nappies has greater environmental impact in the UK than their waste management by landfill.

> For reusable nappies, the baseline scenario based on average washer and drier use produced a global warming impact of approximately 570kg of carbon dioxide equivalents. However, the study showed that the impacts for reusable nappies are highly dependent on the way they are laundered.

> Washing the nappies in fuller loads or line-drying them outdoors all the time (ignoring UK climatic conditions for the purposes of illustration) was found to reduce this figure by 16 per cent. Combining three of the beneficial scenarios (washing nappies in a fuller load, outdoor line drying all of the time, and reusing nappies on a second child) would lower the global warming impact by 40 per cent from the baseline scenario, or some 200kg of carbon dioxide equivalents over the two and a half years, equal to driving a car approximately 1,000 km.

> In contrast, the study indicated that if a consumer tumble-dried all their reusable nappies, it would produce a global warming impact 43 per cent higher than the baseline scenario. Similarly, washing nappies at 90°C instead of at 60°C would increase global warming impact by 31 per cent over the baseline. Combining these two energy intensive scenarios would increase the global warming impact by 75 per cent over the baseline scenario, or some 420kg of carbon dioxide equivalent over the two and a half years.

> The environmental impacts of using shaped reusable nappies can be higher or lower than using disposables, depending on how they are laundered. The report shows that, in contrast to the use of disposable nappies, it is consumers’ behaviour after purchase that determines most of the impacts from reusable nappies.

> Cloth nappy users can reduce their environmental impacts by:

  •    Line drying outside whenever possible. 
  •    Tumble drying as little as possible. 
  •    When replacing appliances, choosing more energy efficient appliances (A+ rated machines are preferred).
  •    Not washing above 60°C. 
  •    Washing fuller loads. 
  •    Reusing nappies on other children.  

It's not a simple calculation.

As an example of the cultural difference you're talking about: I don't think this is social cohesion. This is highly intrusive: people interfering with other peoples' lives, constantly scrutinising and fault-finding, and sticking their noses in where they don't belong. To me it sounds absolutely intolerable.

Go diaper-less, it is easy and clean. I know it is hard to imagine for the western mind. But most human ever lived, have never seen a diaper.

There are lot of wrong with diapers e.g. rash etc.

Google split-pants, elimination communication!