In the European Union alone, 17 million dirty diapers are disposed of every day. This is problematic for the environment, especially because the chemicals and plastics needed to make diapers comfortable and anti-bacterial also make the diaper neither non-recyclable nor compostable.
In response to the diaper dilemma, a graduate student by the name of Luisa Kahlfeldt designed a new diaper that is made entirely of a fabric called SeaCell, which is composed of seaweed and eucalyptus.
The textile that makes the Sumo nappies, as they’re called, is antibacterial and antioxidant-rich, so it is beneficial for babies’ skin. Plus, it’s also sustainable to harvest and produce, giving it an advantage over the textiles used in most cloth nappies on the market. And since Kahlfeldt has fashioned it into a mono-material design, it is also more easily recycled, with no need to disassemble its components.
We’re not the only ones impressed by these Sumo seaweed diapers, at the prestigious Swiss James Dyson Awards, Kahlfeldt’s design won the top prize. Hopefully, these seaweed-fiber diapers make it onto the market fast.
