Going green is easier than you think. It’s really just about embracing a lifestyle wherein you’re concerned about the environmental, social, and economic impacts of your everyday decisions. The current green movement has less to do with finger-pointing and more toward raising awareness and taking preventative action. It’s about finding fun and exciting new ways to nurture your family, increase your positive impact on the planet and your community, and role-model socially conscious behavior for your children.


As a parent, you have four basic choices when it comes to diapering your baby: standard disposable diapers, eco-friendly diapers, hybrid biodegradable diapers, or cloth diapers. Standard disposable diapers remain the leading choice for new parents. However, there are many environmental issues surrounding standard, petroleum-based diapers.

Many diapers are labeled biodegradable and it’s important to understand what that may mean. Items are “certified biodegradable” thru testing (tests allow a 180-day period to achieve 95% degradation under normal composting conditions).

Did you know that the average baby uses 6,000 diapers before potty training? It take anywhere from 200 to 500 years for a petroleum-based disposable diaper to decompose. And the U.S. leads the globe in disposable diaper usage – approximately 49 million disposable diapers each day, as compared to 9 million used daily in the UK, 6.7 million in Japan, and 2.2 million in Australia.


A home-washed cloth diaper has only 53 percent of the ecological footprint of disposables, and a diaper laundry service has a mere 37 percent of that footprint.
So, what’s the “poop” on diapers labeled eco-friendly, organic, natural, or chemical free? Unlike food and personal care products, there is no uniform standard or certification for “organic” or “all-natural” or ”eco-friendly’ or ‘chemical free” when it comes to diapers. Manufacturers can use these terms as they wish, with subjective meaning.

If you’re interested in eco-friendly disposable diapers, you’ll need to decide what is important to you and read the packages carefully. Another important fact to know is that eco-friendly diapers are not necessarily 100% biodegradable. In fact, a complete 100% biodegradable disposable diaper does not exist.

For example, Seventh Generation® brand diapers are chlorine and chemical free. The polymers used are non-toxic and hypoallergenic. This may offer advantages for your baby as well as some advantages for the environment, but these diapers still aren’t biodegradable. Nature Baby Care® and Nature Boy & Girl® are both eco-friendly diapers in that they’re chlorine and toxin-free and use raw materials, which make parts of the diaper (such as the outer corn starch cover) biodegradable, but they’re still not considered a 100% biodegradable product. In fact, the manufacturer recommends that you dispose of the diapers in the trash, just like a standard disposable diaper. However, experts believe that these eco-friendly products will biodegrade at a rate faster than the 200 to 500 years is takes standard diapers to decompose.


You’ve heard of hybrid cars and there are also hybrid diapers, like gDiapers®, which are the closest thing to a completely biodegradable product. gDiapers are cloth diapers with removable inserts that are 100% biodegradable. This offers you the best of a cloth and disposable diaper in one. Wet and/or poopy inserts can be safely flushed (not for septic system use). Wet inserts can also be composted. Soiled inserts, if not flushed, should be disposed of in the regular waste bin and not composted because of the risk of bacterial contamination. gDiapers® are also breathable, plastic-free, elemental chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free.

Biodegradable diaper inserts are made with plant-based plastics (also known as bioplastics), instead of petroleum-based plastics and are compostable. But here’s the catch: none of these biodegradable products are truly biodegradable in landfills. A landfill is not a composting facility. Biodegradable diapers must be composted in a composting toilet, an earthworm system, or an active and properly conditioned composting area.

Check with your waste management provider to see if your community offers composting as part of the trash service. There is also private diaper composting services in some areas, such as Earthbaby.com, that services various parts of southern California.

If landfill usage is your top concern, cloth diapers are still the “greenest” choice. And, cloth diapers have come a long way in recent years. There are no more diaper pins. Cloth diapers and diaper covers come in a wide variety of “certified organic” styles and colors.

When it comes to wipes, changing pads, and scented diaper bags, it’s best to avoid as many chemicals as possible. Start by always choosing “fragrance-free” wipes. Federal law doesn't require companies to declare any of the chemicals used in the fragrances, which frequently contain phthalates that can trigger allergic reactions and other health problems. Additionally, look for the term “biodegradable” on the package. Most commercial diaper wipes are not biodegradable. However, Nature Baby Care® makes a 100% biodegradable, fragrance-free product.

Some wipes, as well as disposal changing pads and perfumed diaper bags, also contain chemicals like propylene glycol (a binder also found in antifreeze) and parabens (a family of compounds commonly used as preservatives). Buy wipe refills instead of a new plastic wipe box each time. The greenest choice for dirty baby bottoms? An organic cotton washcloth and water.

About the author: Kim Wilschek, RN, CCE, is a clinical nurse manager in women’s programs and education at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. She’s also an expert advisor to Health4Mom.org and Healthy Mom & Baby magazine.