Woosh wants to make the diaper circular. This is based on the belief that it is not the disposable diaper itself that is the problem, but rather what happens to it after use. Today, used diapers still end up as residual waste. In Europe alone, this concerns approximately 33 billion disposable diapers per year, accounting for 6.7 million tons of waste (Cabrera and Garcia, 2019). In Belgium, the share of used diapers accounts for 7.5% of residual waste annually (OVAM, 2022). Today, this residual waste disappears into the incinerator, resulting in an enormous impact on the environment.
An important step in realizing our mission is the effective construction of our own recycling and R&D center this summer. After three years of research, development and hard work behind the scenes, we will be recycling our diapers from autumn 2024. Woosh succeeded to develop a unique recycling process, in which we strive for maximum ecological impact.
Because recycling a diaper is not something you just do. Diapers consist of a complex mix of different materials such as plastic, cellulose and super absorbent polymer (SAP). The biggest challenge is to separate them efficiently so that they can be reused in our economy. The research team of engineers at Woosh looked at the issue and developed a unique recycling technology that is also efficient and sustainable. A dry process in which no water is added.
Woosh uses a phased approach with the initial focus on the separation and reuse of the plastic fraction from the diaper. Of all materials, plastic has the greatest impact on CO 2 emissions and is the easiest to recycle due to its high quality. In other words, by focusing on this fraction, we create the greatest ecological impact.
Successfully. Research in collaboration with Vito, Centexbel-VKC and foreign labs shows that the plastic separately resulting from the Woosh separation process has a high-quality composition, which allows the materials to be returned to the economy via mechanical or chemical recycling.
In addition, Woosh continues to focus on research, development and innovation. In this way, we want to further optimize our existing processes and at the same time look for ways to valorize the other materials in diapers.
The launch of the Woosh diaper, optimized for recycling, is also a logical step within this framework. Because we have both the design and processing processes in our own hands, we can coordinate both perfectly. According to the “design for end-of-life” principle, we started at the end and designed a diaper with recycling in mind, where, among other things, a shift towards mono-materials is an important factor. We use recyclable plastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene as much as possible. In addition, we eliminated materials such as cotton, PLA, PVC and PET from the diaper that could potentially disrupt the advertising process.
But it doesn't stop there. Woosh limits the impact on the environment with its own Woosh diaper by using 100% recycled plastic for the packaging and in the waterproof polyethylene layer of the diaper. The use of new raw materials in a production process produces a large amount of CO2-footprint. Pioneering work and a very concrete step towards circularity of the diaper.
More information and updates about the steps we take to realize our mission can be found at www.woosh.be.
