The EcoDiaper is a new disposable diaper made from renewable and compostable materials like cellulose, PLA, and Mater-Bi to reduce plastic pollution from conventional diapers. It produces 30 kg of waste per day that is recycled and used to make cheaper diapers for developing countries in North Africa. The life cycle analysis found the EcoDiaper has a lower global warming potential of 0.091579 kg CO2eq per diaper compared to 0.10787 kg CO2eq for a commercial diaper, due to its renewable materials and waste recycling.

2. About the EcoDiaper
The EcoDiaper is a new innovation to protect the
environment from the big and continuously growing
pollution of plastic. The disposable diaper as we know it is
usually based on Polypropylene and Polyethylene. Those
two plastic materials are very common in the plastic
industry but unfortunately are they neither compostable
nor based on renewable sources. With those two
problem formulations has the creator of the EcoDiaper
worked on a solution that can provide all mothers with a
new disposable diaper that is both based on renewable
sources and is compostable.

3. “Global warming potential
(GWP) is a measure of how
much a given mass of
greenhouse gas is estimated to
contribute to global warming. It
is a relative scale which
compares the gas in question to
that of the same mass of
carbon dioxide (whose GWP is
by convention equal to 1).”
Wikipedia.org

4. Raw materials
Weight per diaper
(g)
GWP100
kg CO2 eq/kg
polymer * Total GWP100
Cellulose 37,27 1,20 0,0447
Super Absorbent
Polymers 11 3,70 0,0407
PLA 5,5 0,30 0,00165
Mater-Bi 3,71 0,30 0,001113
Hot melt 1,23 0,00 0,00
Polyethylene 1,12 2,60 0,00291
Filament yarn 0,15 0,00 0,00
Polypropylene 0,12 3,90 0,000468
Total 60,1
0,091579
KgCO₂eq/kWh

5. Emission GWP100 value (100
years)
Total GWP100 per
emission
Total GWP100 for
transport to retail
CO₂ 1
KgCO₂eq/tripCO 3
CH₄ 25
Transport of components Distance Units Transportation
RAUMACEL TCF Cellulose 2315 km Truck 2315km
AHLSTROM SPUNBOND 2122 km Truck 2063,4 km/ train 58,6 km
Polycart, Mater-Bi backsheet 137 km Truck
TENOTEX TOPSHEET and
Acquisition Layer 397 km Truck
Koester closure tape 923 km Truck
Pantex waist bands 394 km Truck
Henkel hot melt 385 km Truck
TISSUE 103 km Truck
Frontal tape 389 km Truck
SAP BASF 471 km Truck
external box 4,5 km Truck
Bags 273 km Truck
Asahi Kasei elastic yarn 1212 km Truck

6. W.I.P. has developed and mounted a system that gathers all material that otherwise goes to waste at the
production line. This wasted material is collected at two places on the production line. At one place all the
unused pulp is gathered and is reused for the diaper production.
The other place is where all the other wasted materials, pulp/SAP mix, PLA and paper are collected. Those
by-products are sent to North Africa where they are recycled and used for diaper production for this
region. The reason for sending these by-products to a diaper production in North Africa is to serve the
African people with disposable diapers that are much cheaper than the regular disposable diapers that are
available on this market. This is meant to be a help to African parents that otherwise do not have the
economy to buy disposable diapers for their babies. The developing countries are not as far as the rest of
the world in responsible disposal of household waste, therefore is it vital that this part of the world has the
possibility to choose and use products that are environmental friendly.
This way of recycling otherwise wasted material is why there is practically nothing that goes to waste from
the production. W.I.P. produces app. 50.000 diapers per day and from that is generated app. 30 kg of waste
output per day.
These daily batches of 30 kg are divided into: 20 kg of mixed recyclables and 10 kg of pulp.

7. Raw materials Weight per bag (g)
GWP100 kg CO2
eq/kg polymer Total GWP100
PLA XXX 0,30 XXXKgCO₂eq/packaging
*”Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK", 2005, ISBN: 1-84-432427-3, The Environment Agency,
Source: http://www.ahpma.co.uk/docs/LCA.pdf
Raw materials
Weight
primary packaging
per diaper (g)
GWP100 kg CO2
eq/kg polymer Total GWP100
PLA XXX 0,30 XXXKgCO₂eq/diaper
The primary packaging is a PLA-plastic bag with 25-30 diapers

8. Packaging material Weight (g) Total GWP100
KgCO₂eq/
Output Total GWP100
Associated packaging KgCO₂eq/
The GWP per 1 diaper from associated packaging

9. W.I.P. produces only diapers for infants and therefore is the dividing of the production line into activities not
necessary. There are no questionable places in the assembly line regarding the use of energy for the product
involved. Everything on this production site is driven by electrical power.
• Production line – electrical power
• Premium packaging machine – electrical power
• Metal detector – electrical power
• Attached crane – electrical power
• Air conditioning + recycling system – electrical power
• Cardboard printer – electrical power
• Plastic wrapping machine – electrical power
• Crane lift – electrical power
 The facilities do not contain any activities that are driven by other power source than electricity.

10. • W.I.P is currently using a “green power” supplied by the
company Enel.
• W.I.P. is working on a solution based on 30% Solar Panels
and 70% Green Power.
• Enel has two green energy sources in Tuscany that are
used for green energy supply in this region:
- Hydro power and Geothermal power

11. Emission
GWP100 value (100
years)
Total GWP100 per
emission kg/kWh
Total GWP100 for the
energy consumption
of the W.I.P factory
CO₂ 1 44,0001
44,573 KgCO₂eq/kWh
CH₄ 25 0,000229
Emission
GWP100 value (100
years)
Total GWP100 per
emission kg/kWh
Total GWP100 for the
energy consumption
of the W.I.P factory
Global Warming 1 46,866 46,866 KgCO₂eq/kWh
Total GWP100 for combined geothermal power and solar panel
Total GWP100 for combined hydropower and solar panels

12. Total distance IT-DK-SE (km) 2769
Total fuel consumed (liter) 791,143 (=664.56 kg)
Emission GWP100 Total GWP100 per
emission
Total GWP100 for
transport to retail
CO₂ 1 2086,72
2104,6 KgCO₂eq/tripCO 3 13.557
CH₄ 25 4,320
Total GWP100 per one diaper Unit
0,0520 KgCO₂eq/diaper

13. Total distance IT-DK-SE (km) 2769
Total GWP100trip per one diaper by railway Unit
0,0012 KgCO₂eq/diaper

14. Stages of life cycle Total GWP100 Unit
Acquisition and primary
production of raw materials 0,091579 KgCO₂eq/diaper
Transportation of raw
materials KgCO₂eq/diaper
Primary production of primary
packaging KgCO₂eq/diaper
Disposal of output from
associated packaging KgCO₂eq/diaper
Disposal of unusable waste
from the production KgCO₂eq/diaper
Energy consumption of the
W.I.P. factory 45,720 KgCO₂eq/diaper
Transport to retailers stores
(by truck) 0,0520 KgCO₂eq/diaper
Transport to retailers stores
(by railway) 0,0012 KgCO₂eq/diaper

15. Total GWP100 from cradle to customer Unit
KgCO₂eq/diaper
Total GWP100 from cradle to customer (if road transport is used for distribution)
Total GWP100 from cradle to customer (if railway transport is used for distribution)
Total GWP100 from cradle to customer Unit
KgCO₂eq/diaper

16. Stages of life cycle Total GWP100 for the EcoDiaper
Total GWP100 for the commercial
diaper
Acquisition and primary production
of raw materials
0,091579 KgCO₂eq/diaper 0,10787 KgCO₂eq/diaper

17. 0.08
0.085
0.09
0.095
0.1
0.105
0.11
1 EcoDiaper 1 Commercial
diaper
GlobalWarmingPotential(GWP)
EcoDiaper VS Commercial diaper