Another Player in the Diaper Dilemma
The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.
Disposable or Cloth? Is it better to toss or wash? For years, it’s been the big debate for many eco-conscious parents, and there are strong arguments both ways. But now there’s a third option: flushable diapers.
G Diapers has created the first new diaper in 40 years. Instead of adding to a landfill, “Poop goes down the toilet where it belongs.”
We spoke with G Diapers CEO and co-founder, Jason Graham Nyu, to learn more about this unique product.
Company Overview
G Diapers are flushable, plastic-free diapers. Unlike disposable diapers, which are made of plastic and pile up in the landfill, G Diapers are easily disposed of.
G Diapers consist of a reusable, cloth outer pant and a plastic-free refill that you can flush, compost or toss in the trash. The outer layer, or “little g” pant, comes in a variety of fun colors, from “GollyMolly Pink” to “Goodlight Blue.”
“Fashion is king,” Nyu said. ”Why be enviro-friendly if you can’t look groovy doing it?”
Founded By Parents
G Diapers was founded by Nyu and his wife, Kimberley. About five years ago, the two were living in Australia and seeking an eco-friendly diaper solution for their son. They had been using cloth, but felt that the environmental benefits were questionable on account of all the extra washing. They found a product similar to the G Diaper at a baby expo and “loved it.” They bought out the company and G Diapers hit the market in 2005.
Company Eco-friendliness
Each day, 50 million diapers are dumped in a landfill, where they may stay for hundreds of years, Nyu said. They are made of petroleum-derived plastic, which is both bad for the environment and expensive. G diapers are:
- “Readily biodegradable” and break down in about three months
- Compostable in your own backyard
- Made of breathable material, like sport-wear, so they are less likely to irritate the skin (plastic in disposable diapers often causes rashes)
Nyu pointed out that many moms make a lot of eco-wise decisions with non-toxic toys, but they forget about diapers.
Greener Parenting?
The baby industry seems to be getting greener. Nyu said he is seeing an increase in plastic-free bottles and organic frozen baby food. But diapers haven’t migrated green, with the exception of G Diapers. “As far as I know, we’re the only ones doing this,” he said.
The Consumer’s Role
By purchasing G Diapers, consumers are reducing their environmental impact, Nyu said. G Diapers are a “cradle to cradle” product, meaning everything that goes into a flushable product gets re-absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way.
A Job With Meaning
Nyu said he sought a career with both ”meaning and money” for many years. As a stock broker, he had money without meaning. As a school teacher, it was meaning without money. G Diapers allows him to achieve both meaning and money.
“This is an attempt at a triple bottom line company,” he said. “The welfare of the people and the planet are just as important as the profit.”
Future Plans
G Diapers’ future plans including expanding distribution across the U.S. Right now G Diapers are available at natural product retailers throughout the country and online.
There is also an ongoing commitment to coming out with stylish new offerings of “little g pants,” Nyu said.
Favorite of the Three R’s
Nyu said he gets “a massive sense of satisfaction” from reducing. “I just feel as a society that we accumulate so much stuff,” he said, adding that he recently cleaned out his house and was amazed at all the unused stuff he had.
