Natural Baby (“Earth Pure” diaper sold by Amway in the USA until 2004) was the first degradable diaper in the world, launched in the year 2000. It was made with a new technology called T.D.P.A. (“totally degradable plastic additive” – a trademark of Environmental Products Inc.), a new kind of additive that changes the molecular properties of plastics, thereby degrading the outside shell of the diaper. There is no better disposable diaper for the environment at this time. Please understand that this does not mean that the whole diaper will biodegrade. However, tests show that TDPA facilitates biodegradation of the outside shell, converting it into fine dust. Unfortunately, this diaper is not commercially available anymore due to its limited sales volume and the high cost its producer had to incur to defend it from lawsuits. It is extremely expensive to prove that the diaper will biodegrade in every single landfill in the United States. Some landfills are so poorly managed that in these few places, not even a banana peel will biodegrade. For this reason, though we could claim degradation on an ASTM active landfill simulator, we could not print the claim on the diaper bag – i.e., without being confronted by powerful enemies. You can find more about this remarkable technology at: Insight2000.htm

Two new products recently launched into the market are the Bio Baby made by Mabesa in Mexico, and Safeties, the first diaper to claim it is 100% biodegradable, made by Senevens in New Zealand. You can visit their links here: http://www.senevens.com.au/home.htm and http://www.pimabe.com/ Another interesting new product also claiming ecological benefits is the gDiapers, a simple diaper insert made with soluble materials that you can flush directly into the toilet: http://www.gdiapers.com