British baby brand and reusable nappy expert Bambino Mio has tackled part of the plastic problem in the Pacific by introducing a sustainable local solution for Vanuatu’s single-use nappy ban.
Vanuatu – an collection of islands located in the South Pacific Ocean – has become the first country in the world to ban disposable nappies as part of a bold move to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic waste due to the devasting effects caused to the Pacific Island. Currently, 27% of Vanuatu’s waste can be attributed to disposable nappies.
To help introduce modern reusable nappies as a sustainable solution, Bambino Mio teamed up with a local social enterprise, Mamma’s Laef Vanuatu. The partnership offered advice, financial support, product education and the technical expertise to help facilitate independent production of reusable nappies, which Mamma’s Laef Vanuatu could then manufacture and distribute independently.
“We are incredibly proud to be supporting Mamma’s Laef to help develop locally-led reusable nappy manufacturing,” said managing director, Guy Schanschieff. “This initiative will not only help the environment and help parents save money, it’s also an opportunity to build a home-grown industry that will create more jobs in Vanuatu.”
Bambino Mio worked closely with the social enterprise to encourage a community trial of the locally-made modern reusable nappies to help support the Government’s proposed ban, meet the needs of local communities, reduce plastic pollution and save families money.
A report on the pilot scheme revealed that 96% of families who used modern reusable nappies during the trial really liked them, 95% would recommend them to others and a 85% stated they would buy reusable nappies.
Many parents also valued the fact that they would save money by transitioning from single-use to reusable nappies.
The replacement of single-use nappies with Mamma’s Laef reusable nappies would support 13 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Building on this, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has recently announced a project looking at alternatives to single-use nappies across all 15 countries in the Pacific.
