Woosh wants to make the diaper circular. This is based on the conviction that the problem is not the disposable diaper itself, but what does or does not happen to it after use. Today, used diapers still end up in residual waste. In Europe alone, this amounts to approximately 33 billion disposable diapers per year, which is 6.7 million tonnes of waste (Cabrera and Garcia, 2019). In Belgium, used diapers account for 7.5% of residual waste annually (OVAM, 2022). This residual waste currently disappears into the incinerator, which has an enormous impact on the environment as a result.
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 recycle our diapers from the fall of 2024. Woosh has succeeded in developing a unique recycling process, where we strive for maximum ecological impact.
Because you can’t just recycle a diaper. Diapers are made of a complex mix of different materials such as plastic, cellulose and super absorbent polymer (SAP). The biggest challenge is to efficiently separate them so that they can be reused in our economy. The research team of engineers at Woosh has looked into this issue and developed a unique recycling technology that is also efficient and sustainable. A dry process where no water is added.
Woosh uses a phased approach, focusing initially 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 laboratories shows that the plastic separately, resulting after 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 the processing process in our own hands, we can perfectly coordinate both. According to the “design for end-of-life” principle, we started at the end and designed a diaper with recycling in mind, in which, among other things, the shift towards mono-materials is an important factor. We use as many recyclable plastics as possible, such as polypropylene and polyethylene. In addition, we eliminated materials such as cotton, PLA and PET from the diaper that could potentially disrupt the recycling 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 results in a large CO2 footprint. Pioneering work and a very concrete step towards circularity of the diaper.
More information and updates on the steps we are taking to realize our mission can be found at www.woosh.be.
Woosh's unique recycling process will recycle its first diapers in fall 2024
Woosh wants to make the diaper circular. This is based on the conviction that the problem is not the disposable diaper itself, but what does or does not happen to it after use. Today, used diapers still end up in residual waste. In Europe alone, this amounts to approximately 33 billion disposable diapers per year, which is 6.7 million tonnes of waste (Cabrera and Garcia, 2019). In Belgium, used diapers account for 7.5% of residual waste annually (OVAM, 2022). This residual waste currently disappears into the incinerator, which has an enormous impact on the environment as a result.
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 recycle our diapers from the fall of 2024. Woosh has succeeded in developing a unique recycling process, where we strive for maximum ecological impact.
Because you can’t just recycle a diaper. Diapers are made of a complex mix of different materials such as plastic, cellulose and super absorbent polymer (SAP). The biggest challenge is to efficiently separate them so that they can be reused in our economy. The research team of engineers at Woosh has looked into this issue and developed a unique recycling technology that is also efficient and sustainable. A dry process where no water is added.
Woosh uses a phased approach, focusing initially 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 laboratories shows that the plastic separately, resulting after 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 the processing process in our own hands, we can perfectly coordinate both. According to the “design for end-of-life” principle, we started at the end and designed a diaper with recycling in mind, in which, among other things, the shift towards mono-materials is an important factor. We use as many recyclable plastics as possible, such as polypropylene and polyethylene. In addition, we eliminated materials such as cotton, PLA and PET from the diaper that could potentially disrupt the recycling 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 results in a large CO2 footprint. Pioneering work and a very concrete step towards circularity of the diaper.
More information and updates on the steps we are taking to realize our mission can be found at www.woosh.be.