Peacocke calls on Supermarkets to stock Biodegradeable Nappies and Liners
North Down Councillor and Deputy Mayor Diana Peacocke has called for major supermarkets to stock biodegradable nappies and liners. Currently, environmentally conscious parents can only purchase these products online as major retailers including Tesco and Sainsburys do not stock them.
Councillor Peacocke said:
“If we consider the current climate of the conscious consumer, it’s a surprise that supermarkets do not stock such an environmentally friendly product. Parents are forced to order these nappies online and I’m certain that if biodegradable nappies were made more available in our shops, more people would buy them.
“I understand that they may be slightly more expensive than normal disposable nappies, but the parent has the peace of mind to know that by making the right choice and going bio-degradable, they won’t be choosing something that takes 100 years to decompose.
“I’ve spoken to several parents about this issue who said that they would be willing to pay extra for a product which didn’t pollute the earth. Around 40,000 tons of disposable nappies are dumped in landfill in Northern Ireland every year, if there is a baby in your family, its one third of the contents of your bin.
“In an ideal world parents would want to go a step further and use ‘real nappies’ which can be re-used, but due to time and work, many parents simply won’t consider this as an option. Biodegradable nappies could serve as a halfway house and if supermarkets came on board, we could revolutionise the whole nappy industry.
“I think that nappy manufacturing companies also have a responsibility for their product and perhaps they should consider bringing out a new range of biodegradable nappies and give parents more of a choice. Instead of concentrating on how attractive they can make the product look they should consider what impact it’s going to have on the environment”.