The first biodegradable diaper revolutionising diaper industry
About 40 % of a baby diaper composition is super absorbent polymer (SAP), a component that is neither skin-friendly nor biodegradable. The current biological and biocompatible SAP cannot offer the required absorbency nor scalable production process. As a result, each year 21 billion used diapers generate 10 million tons of plastic waste in Europe. This waste ends up either in incinerators, where it does not provide a good calorific value due to the high liquid content of the used diapers, or in landfills. The industry, as well as consumers, have been searching for eco-friendly alternatives for years, but the material mix in diapers and the high quality and safety requirements for baby products have made this undertaking impossible so far. The EU-funded PAWN project have introduced an innovative product with high absorbency that addresses the environmental challenges posed by traditional diapers.
Ecological standards meet outstanding performance
"Our goal was to produce a diaper that meets all the biodegradability criteria, has an optimal Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and does not fall short compared with the best diapers on the market," says project coordinator and Polygreen CEO Shai Shahal. SAPs are polymers that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of liquid: up to 50 times their weight in saline/urine liquid and over 300 times their weight in distilled water. This material is used in the core of diapers and helps retain the liquid. Project coordinator Polygreen managed to produce a material that meets all the SAP industry standards and to achieve a significant scale-up process. This material is a hybrid composition of a natural, protein-based biopolymer and another proprietary polymer based on deep polymer technology. It forms a superabsorbent polymer with active release-control features. The biodegradable non-woven BIO-PP material was developed by project partner Avgol, while partner CELLTEX ensured manufacturability and adequacy for full industrial production. NOVIS GmbH oversaw total Life Cycle Management. However, the official certification process was postponed until commercial production. Oversight of communication, exploitation and commercialisation was the task of partner WILOGIS GmbH. “Our project goes above and beyond. Not only did it pioneer the world's first 100 % biodegradable diaper, matching the performance of traditional ones, but it also strives to harmonise cost with prevailing market rates,” clarifies Shahal. “We're committed to ensuring that consumers can embrace our eco-friendly and high-performing product without shouldering an unjustifiable premium. In doing so, we're not just changing diapers; we're changing the diaper industry.”
A sustainable diaper paving the way for a greener future
The advent of a sustainable diaper heralds a paradigm shift in consumer consciousness toward eco-friendly alternatives, potentially triggering heightened demand for environmentally responsible products and practices. Due to the preliminary nature of the diaper samples produced and the potential for future changes in production and distribution, the official certification process was postponed until commercial production. Currently, the team is still working collaboratively to achieve commercial distribution. “As we progress, our next chapters involve industrial-scale production and initial consumer distribution, with a principal focus on the European market. Yet, our aspirations stretch far beyond the horizon, aiming for sustained expansion and the goal of international distribution in the distant future,” concludes Shahal.
Keywords
PAWN, ecofriendly diapers, diaper pollution, sustainable diapers, environmentally responsible products, super absorbent polymers, SAPs