- After a flying start, Woosh, the Ghent start-up that wants to make diaper recycling possible in Belgium, reaches 1,000 babies in 3 months with the Woosh diaper service.
- Woosh works together with CityDepot and their partners ECOKoeriers and WerKans in Mechelen to test innovative and sustainable logistics models.
- The diapers collected by Woosh and CityDepot to enable diaper recycling in Belgium are designed by the Belgian diaper manufacturer Ontex to be more recyclable.
Woosh estimates that in Belgium alone, 33,000 tons of disposable diapers from daycare centers end up in landfill every year, resulting in 7.97 million kg of CO2 emissions. Waste and CO2 emissions from diaper incineration can be avoided by recycling used disposable diapers.
The 1,000 babies that Woosh currently reaches can provide more than 1 million used disposable diapers in 1 year.
Together with CityDepot, an expert in sustainable city distribution, Woosh is investigating the most sustainable and efficient way to deliver fresh diapers to daycare centers and collect used diapers for recycling. This research is supported by the Flemish government.
Access to diaper waste
Woosh's mission is to make diaper recycling possible. To achieve this recycling, Woosh needs access to diaper waste. The start-up is therefore rolling out innovative logistics models.
“If we want to invest in diaper recycling facilities, we need diaper waste. Until now, the cost of separate collection of used diapers has proven to be too high to make this possible,” says Jeff Stubbe, co-founder of Woosh. “We currently serve areas where the most diaper waste is available with our Woosh delivery and collection service, and that is in the cities where there are many daycare centers. With our innovative logistics model we can deliver fresh diapers and collect used diapers at the same time. This is not only very efficient but also sustainable because by combining delivery and collection, the number of kilometers driven is greatly reduced,” Jeff continues.
Innovative and sustainable optimal logistics model
Together with CityDepot and its partners in Mechelen, Woosh is investigating the most innovative and sustainable way to deliver and collect diapers, from bicycle couriers to electric vehicles. The Woosh diapers are collected in the hub on the edge of the city and from there delivered to the Mechelen daycare centers in the most sustainable way.
“We are currently testing the best way to deliver diapers and collect diaper waste. We do this with our modular green fleet, with various types of sustainable vehicles. In addition, we work together with other parties through an open ecosystem, such as the bicycle couriers of ECOKoeriers and the WerKans employment project in Mechelen.” says Kristof Gouvaerts, managing director of CityDepot. “One of the pillars of CityDepot is combining deliveries and returns. Our couriers drive into and out of the city at maximum capacity. This sustainable logistics approach already ensures a CO2 reduction during delivery and collection, in addition to the CO2 reduction thanks to subsequent recycling.”
Inneke Vos from ECOkoeriers: “In addition to testing innovative and sustainable logistics solutions, we also create jobs for job seekers from the region who are guided to a job in logistics.”
Logistics partners such as Citydepot and ECOKoeriers stand for ecological, economic and social sustainability. “In Mechelen, this is a great opportunity for us to collaborate with logistics partners for whom the pursuit of sustainability is also high on the agenda.” Says Jeff Stubbe.
Partnerships in the circular economy
In March, Woosh announced the collaboration with diaper manufacturer Ontex and the diaper brand Little Big Change. “Little Big Change diapers fit well with Woosh's values and mission: recyclable, CO2 neutral and locally produced and also without compromise in quality.” says Jeff Stubbe.
“Only by working together with experts in different domains can we achieve the best results,” says Jeff Stubbe. “Circular economy will only become possible thanks to open collaboration with various partners, we notice that very well. The partnerships that Woosh has set up illustrate what a circular economy can be and what a sustainable future can look like: economically, ecologically and socially.”
Woosh is active in Mechelen, Bruges and Ghent, and will also roll out its service in other Belgian central cities such as Brussels, Leuven, Aalst, Antwerp and Turnhout in the coming months. Woosh wants to deliver disposable diapers and collect used diapers from 1,000 daycare centers in Belgium by 2024, and also roll out this service internationally.
About CityDepot
As an expert in sustainable city logistics, CityDepot ensures the bundled delivery of goods in the city. With branches in 6 Belgian cities, around 40 CityDepot vehicles are on the road every day. Good for handling more than 1,200 deliveries per day. Bundling logistics flows ensures a saving of 2,750 km of truck traffic per week and by focusing on green vehicles we achieve a CO2 reduction of no less than 75%. (https://www.bdlogistics.be/)
About Woosh
Woosh was founded in January 2021 within Thingit. Together with Wouter Vandamme, Jeff Stubbe and Alby Roseveare want to make diaper recycling possible in Belgium. In addition to the partnerships with CityDepot and Ontex, local city authorities also play an important role in achieving the goal of diaper recycling. Woosh is the result of a collaboration between Ontex and venture builder Thingit, a team of researchers and entrepreneurs who are the architects of this circular project. (https://www.woosh.be)
About Ontex
Ontex produces and distributes personal hygiene solutions, including baby diapers, worldwide. More than 2 billion euros worth of Ontex products are distributed annually in more than 110 countries, under customer and retailer brands or under Ontex own brands, such as Little Big Change.
The transition to the circular economy is part of Ontex's sustainability strategy. When designing new products, Ontex uses the design-for-recycling concept, right down to the packaging. Ontex studies every phase in the life cycle of a product, including collaboration with partners, recycling infrastructure, and environmental impact. The Ontex head office is located in Aalst, in addition to production facilities in Buggenhout, Eeklo and 17 other locations worldwide. (https://ontex.com)
Percontact
Jeff Stubbe
Co-founder Woosh
+32 474 60 27 13
Kathleen Van Saet
Marketing manager CityDepot
kathleen.vansaet@bdlogistics.be
+32 476 86 20 37