OUR MISSION
It’s a bit of a shitty situation . While we’re taking care of babies, we’re damaging the environment with the mountain of diaper waste we leave behind. With up to 4,800 diapers per baby before they’re potty trained (Cabrera and Garcia, 2019), we’re easily creating a few Mont Blancs of diaper waste on Earth.
The alternatives to disposable diapers are often impractical and take up a lot of time and energy. That’s why Woosh’s mission is to save disposable diapers from the landfill, without childcare workers and parents having to change their habits. That’s how we ensure happy baby bottoms and a cleaner planet. How amazing is that?
MAKing DIAPERS CIRCULAR
Woosh wants to make the disposable diaper circular. Because our responsibility does not stop at offering the diaper. We are convinced that the problem is not the disposable diaper, but what does or does not happen to it after use.
Today, used diapers still end up in residual waste. This means valuable materials are lost, and worse, they are burned! This causes unnecessary CO₂ emissions: on the one hand for reproducing these materials, on the other hand by burning the waste. If we want to keep global warming under control, this is not sustainable.
Woosh is determined to change this! We want to recover and recycle these materials. That is why we collect the diapers after use and process them in a sustainable way. We developed 'the one and only' Woosh give-back diaper : a diaper that is made in such a way that we can recycle it with a unique process developed by Woosh. From now on, used Woosh diapers will no longer be disposed of with the residual waste, but we will take them with us and process them into reusable materials. And that is how we close the loop. Every change matters , and we are convinced of that!
Did you know that...
…about 33 billion baby diapers are used each year in Europe alone, generating around 6.7 million tonnes of waste? (Cabrera and Garcia, 2019)
…the share of used diapers in Belgium accounts for 7.5% of residual waste annually? (OVAM, 2022)
Woosh revolution in detail
- The Woosh give-back diaper is designed to be recycled. The unique feature here is the recycled material in the waterproof layer. The Woosh diaper is the first on the market where the waterproof layer consists of 100% recycled materials.
- Woosh provides a convenient diaper service: from online ordering to deliveries at the location of your choice, and from handy packaging to clear color and size indications... everything to help you unburden yourself.
- The used diapers are collected again using the same transport.
- The used diapers are recycled at the Woosh Recycling site.
- The plastics are recycled and converted into new valuable raw materials, which can be put back on the market. The organic components are currently being studied to see what can have the greatest 'low impact'.
The Woosh way
From the fall of 2024, Woosh will start recycling Woosh diapers, with the official opening at the end of January 2025. We developed our own recycling process for this, tailored to our give-back diaper. As a first step in this process, we focus on the efficient separation of materials and on the recycling of plastic.
Our Woosh diaper
Our diaper was designed according to the 'design for recycling' principle with a view to optimal recycling.
Our Woosh service
Collecting used diapers ensures a separated waste stream, a necessary condition for recycling
Our Woosh recycling process
With the used diapers we make diaper recycling possible. Our goal: reusing valuable materials and reducing CO₂ emissions.
CONTINUOUS INNOVATION
Although we have already taken important steps in our recycling story, we still have a long way to go. We realize that.
That is why we continue 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.
To facilitate this, we built our own recycling and R&D center in Bruges. The very first in Belgium! We developed an innovative separation process for this that is efficient and energy-saving and ensures that the properties of the materials we separate are preserved. We start by separating the materials into two streams: plastics and organic materials. We recycle the plastics first because they account for the largest share of the CO₂ impact. The next step is to develop solutions to fully reuse the organic components as well, so that the diaper will be fully recyclable in the future. In this way, each new generation of Woosh diapers will contain more and more bio-based and recycled materials.
Read more about this milestone and the full Woosh story here.
JANUARY 2021
Origin of Woosh
MARCH 2021
Launch of R&D program on logistics solutions and diaper recycling technologies
JUNE 2021
Already 1,000 children use the Woosh service every day
DECEMBER 2022
Woosh serves 10,000 children every day from 4 logistics depots: Ghent, Antwerp, Hasselt and Leuven
JANUARY 2023
Start-up of recycling program with own process tailored to our diaper
MAY 2023
Woosh is active throughout Belgium
AUGUST 2023
Partnership with IVBO Bruges
APRIL 2024
Launch of new Woosh diaper
NOVEMBER 2024
Startup recycling
JANUARY 2025
Official opening of recycling
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
JOIN OUR MISSION!
Become a Wooshie and support the path to a sustainable future for our children. Together we build a more beautiful planet with less waste and less CO₂ emissions!