10 Eco Friendly Diapers Keeping Your Baby’s Tush Sustainable
Dirty diaper? Dirty planet.
Look, we know you don’t want to spend more time thinking about diapers than you have to—especially considering a parent will change around 2,500 of them in just.one.year.
Diapers are doing us dirty and for anyone looking to raise an eco-baby, this issue shouldn’t be at the bottom (pun definitely intended) of our priority list.
None of us want to examine diapers up close, but it’s what we have to do.
Don’t worry, we brought the nose plugs!
We’re looking for eco friendly diapers that are better for babies and the big blue rock we call home.
That’s what we get from Eco by Naty’s eco friendly disposable diapers made without 200 diaper common chemicals (and if that doesn’t answer the question why buy sustainable diapers, we don’t know what will).
Kudos‘ combine cotton, sugarcane, and trees with DoubleDry™ technology to keep your baby’s bottom chemical and chafe-free.
If you’re ready to go full-on zero waste, make the leap to cloth with Esembly. Fun prints aside, they offer an innovative resale and recycle program to keep their cloth diapers out of the landfill.
For the dirty details on how we picked these sustainable diaper brands, wipe your way right to the bottom.
*This post contains affiliate links
QUICK LINKS FOR SUSTAINABLE DIAPERS
1. ECO BY NATY
About Eco by Naty
Say bye-bye to oil-based plastics with the best sustainable disposable diapers from Swedish brand Eco by Naty.
Striving to create a plant-based diaper made with compostable ingredients, they overcame many barriers to become one of the leading eco diaper brands globally.
They’re even recommended by 4 out of 5 dads!
Eco by Naty’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Made with 60% FSC-certified wood pulp and a superabsorbent polymer (SAP), these diapers are certified vegan, OEKO-TEX 100, and OK Biobased by TÜV Austria.
While not compostable, they are ISO/IEC 17025 biodegradable, as certified by lab analysis from the Biobased and Biogenic Carbon Testing Laboratory.
As some of the most sustainable disposable diapers in the market, they’re made without more than the 200 common diaper chemical suspects.
Supply chain & labor practices:
A code of conduct holds all manufacturers and suppliers to Naty’s ethical and environmental standards.
Green business practices:
Packaging for their eco friendly baby diapers is made from plant-based materials.
While their feminine care line, disposal bags, and eco-friendly baby wipes are compostable, the diapers aren’t, though that’s the eventual goal.
Track this eco friendly diaper brand’s progress in their sustainability report.
Community & charitable giving:
Instead of hiding their ingenuity with patents, they encourage other companies to adapt and make the market better.
Available: EarthHero
2. KUDOS
About Kudos
When it comes to the most sustainable disposable diapers in the US, we have to give kudos to Kudos.
This BIPOC woman-owned brand has mastered the absorbent factor, keeping messes contained, especially when used as eco friendly overnight diapers.
Three sizes are designed to fit newborns to babies 36+ months.
You can either subscribe or bundle with their 100% natural wet wipes to make for more affordable eco friendly diapers.
Because your baby (and you) look at their diapers so often, they make them with eye-catching “fun prints to poo in” to help with cognitive development.
Kudos’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Kudos is the first and only eco friendly disposable diaper brand bearing the cotton natural™ seal from Cotton Inc for using 100% unbleached cotton liners.
The leak protection powers that make these suitable as sustainable overnight diapers come from the DoubleDry™ layers of corn starch PLA and sugar cane polyethylene paired with an absorbent core made from FSC-certified tree pulp and SAP (super absorbent polymer).
The SAP, leg elastic, waistband, and closures are still petrochemical-based but once viable plant-based alternatives exist, they’ll switch.
OEKO TEX 100 certified, they’re tested to be free of chlorine, lotion, latex, fragrances, parabens, and phthalates.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Their US offices are run by a team of MIT Engineers and moms.
Their TruCotton is sourced from US farms and the diapers are manufactured under the highest standards in Germany.
Green business practices:
Packaging consists of sugarcane-based PE bags and a reusable and recyclable paper diaper caddy.
While the diapers themselves are not compostable or flushable, Kudos aims to keep improving until they can eventually produce the world’s first 100% plant-based diaper.
They’re also exploring partnerships with industrial composting facilities to give their products a better end-of-life outcome.
Available: Kudos (US only)
3. MOMGAROO
About Momgaroo
Veronica was inspired to create her own natural sustainable diapers out of cloth after successfully using them on her second child.
Problem was, she went overboard and had to get rid of some.
And that was when Momgaroo was born, and now they offer machine washable eco friendly diapers sets of 6, 12, 24, or 36 packs.
With an easy, adjustable snap closure, these one-size diapers are suitable for newborns to 3-year-olds.
Momgaroo’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Momgaroo’s reusable sustainable diapers come with three insert choices: microfiber, organic hemp, or organic charcoal bamboo insert—all with different absorbency benefits.
The bamboo eco friendly diapers insert is soft and breathable, on top of the fact that bamboo fabric is naturally deodorizing, antibacterial, hypoallergenic, and fast-drying—cumulatively preventing skin irritation.
Hemp fabric is strong, soft, and water-absorbent. Trapped air in the hemp fibers is warmed by the body, which can help keep your baby snug in cooler weather.
The outer layer of the diapers is waterproof washable and reusable PUL, with a soft suede cloth inner layer.
There is also a 100% hemp diaper, possibly the most sustainable diaper made by Mongaroo.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The family-operated team includes Veronica (who handmakes the diapers) and her three assistants—her son Henry as the photography assistant, daughter Chloe as the shipping assistant and model, and son Rufus, the baby who loves showing off his diapered bottom.
Available: Etsy
4. KIT & KIN
About Kit & Kin
Kit & Kin offers something kind for baby skin in the form of diapers sans parabens, chlorine bleach, latex, or fragrances.
And since the best eco friendly disposable diapers can actually make changing time fun (okay, sort of), theirs feature adorable animals that might make you forget what gross stuff will end up inside.
In addition to diapers in 1-6 sizes, they offer 100% biodegradable wipes, skincare, and clothes.
Kit & Kin’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
FSC-certified wood pulp, sugarcane, and chlorine-free, bio-based SAP go into Kit & Kin’s collection of the top sustainable diapers.
These are all biodegradable, save for the velcro closures and elastic leg loops.
Supply chain and labor practices:
Their carbon neutral factory is located in the Czech Republic, where ethical operations are monitored as per their recently bestowed Certified B Corp status.
Green business practices:
Your eco friendly diapers will come in fully recyclable packaging.
Community & charitable giving:
In addition to donating wipes and diapers to those in need in the UK, the Kit & Kin Foundation funds rainforest protection.
It also provides healthcare, scholarships, and family planning resources for women and children in the area.
Available: Ethical Superstore
5. ESEMBLY
About Esembly
Made by parents for parents, Esembly (obviously) creates some of the most eco friendly diapers.
This sustainable diaper brand started with a subway ride and an exploding diaper followed by tears, for both mom and baby.
This drove founder Liz Turrigano to look for better alternatives, which eventually led to Esembly’s choice of reusable organic eco friendly diapers and biodegradable sustainable disposable diaper liners.
Esembly’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Their organic sustainable diapers are made with a layered GOTS-certified organic cotton core, along with an OEKO-TEX certified waterproof top layer made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and TPU laminate.
For eco friendly overnight diapers, add an absorbent diaper booster made from stay-dry fleece and organic cotton.
Esembly’s take on the most eco friendly disposable diapers mean liners made with 100% biodegradable bamboo viscose.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Esembly responsibly produces its reusable cloth diapers in Pakistan and China.
Green business practices:
The best eco friendly diapers are those that don’t end up in landfills.
Thanks to their resale and recycle program, Esembly bags and diapers can be sold back to the company to be properly recycled in exchange for a gift card.
Their commitment to the planet is clear down to diapering the diapers in 100% recycled and fully recyclable materials.
Community & charitable giving:
Esembly is a member of 1% for the Planet.
Available: EarthHero
6. MOLTEX
About Moltex
With Moltex, you’ll get eco friendly disposable diapers with 50% biobased materials and without lotion, chlorine bleach, or fragrances.
Available in sizes 1-6, you’ll find sustainable diapers sets for babies from birth through potty training.
Moltex’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Moltex combines a 100% natural top sheet made of corn and sugarcane with an FSC-certified wood pulp absorbent inner layer.
The exterior contains 15% organic cotton.
These certified allergy friendly baby diapers are EU Ecolabel, OEKO-TEX, TÜV Austria OK Biobased certified. All up, arguably the best diapers for the most sensitive baby skin.
Supply chain and labor practices:
Diapers are made in BSCI-audited factories in Germany.
Green business practices:
The best eco friendly diapers are mindful of the outer packaging, too, which is why Moltex’s consists of TÜV Austria OK biobased certified sugarcane bags.
The diapers are manufactured using 100% renewable energy and two of the facilities are carbon neutral.
Available: Ethical Superstore
7. NUBMUBY
About NubMuby
To NubMuby making the most sustainable diapers means ensuring your baby’s bottom will only be in contact with natural cotton.
The hook and loop cloth diapers come in a variety of colors and should fit any baby from around eight pounds to 36 pounds.
The inserts are removable and all layers are machine washable.
NubMuby’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The mostly natural eco friendly diapers from NubMuby feature a cotton liner along with a 3-layer microfiber removable insert and PUL waterproof shell.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The family-owned brand is based in Northern California but they sew all diapers in China through a factory they rent out when the normal workers are on vacation (saving them from buying machinery).
The family that owns the factory have been sewing diapers for over 20 years, and they have been friends with the owners since childhood.
Most materials come from Asia, which reduces manufacturing shipping distance.
Available: Etsy
8. BAMBO NATURE
About Bambo Nature
For more than 30 years, Bambo Nature has been redefining the standards of natural baby products for nature’s greatest little miracles.
They carry everything to get you through those formative years, including leak proof diapers, wipes, skincare, and training pants.
There are two choices for eco friendly disposable diapers: Classic or Love.
The latter features a thinner core design and has been certified by Asthma Allergy Denmark.
Bambo Nature’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Both diapers are made of plant-based polyethylene and FSC-certified sustainably harvested pulp.
These allergy friendly diapers never use dyes, parabens, chemicals, or perfumes.
They’re certified by Nordic Ecolabel and have been dermatologically tested by ProDERM and ATC GmbH.
Supply chain & labor practices:
While safe for babies, Bambo Nature does not test on animals.
These sustainable diapers are made in an ethically sound Danish factory.
Green business practices:
Bambo Nature voluntarily undergoes environmental inspections for every product, using criteria based on the entire life cycle—from the sourcing of raw materials to product disposal.
Their parent company Abena uses an efficient diaper machine that allows them to reduce their energy and other resource consumption.
They also recycle 95% of waste, including the powder and dust from their plant.
Bambo Nature’s packaging is designed with minimal resource requirements in mind. Most can be either recycled or composted.
Available: Bambo Nature
9. ESSENTIALLY ECO UK
About Essentially Eco UK
Essential Eco UK’s reusable sustainable baby diapers minimize plastic consumption and save money.
They come in a range of adorable designs and are to be used with cloth inserts that can be machine washed but should not be dried.
They can fit babies who weigh anywhere between 6 and 24 pounds.
In addition to some of the top eco friendly diapers, shop-owner Donna also sells scrub hats, face masks, reusable sanitary pads, and more.
Essentially Eco UK’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The cloth inserts are made from a triple layer of microfiber, and the inner material is made with suede cloth. The outer layer is washable and is made from PUL.
Supply chain & labor practices:
As the name suggests, these eco friendly baby diapers are handmade in the UK.
Available: Etsy
10. ECORIGINALS
About Ecoriginals
One of the best eco friendly diaper brands in Australia, Ecorginals has your baby’s bum covered in only the best non toxic materials.
While not fully biodegradable diapers, they are 90% of the way there.
To suit your needs, whatever they may be, they offer options to buy solo or subscribe for more affordable sustainable diapers.
Ecoriginals’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
These 90% natural sustainable diapers feature FSC-certified wood pulp, undyed cotton, and non-GMO corn starch.
The remaining non-biodegradable 10% is reserved for the front taps and leg holes made of polyethylene and spandex.
Everything is held together with stitching or plant-based glue.
Supply chain and labor practices:
While we’re not yet sure of any ethical protections in place, we do know their sustainable disposable diapers are made in China.
China currently possesses the only machinery, but they would ultimately prefer producing diapers in Australia or New Zealand, like their wipes.
Materials come from China, Japan, and the US.
Green business practices:
The factory in China recycles all water used and the New Zealand factory runs on 100% renewable energy.
Beyond using recyclable cardboard boxes and home compostable diaper wraps, Ecoriginals is plastic neutral, collecting and recycling the same amount of plastic used through Plastic Bank.
Community & charitable giving:
Each order means one tree is planted through Ecologi.
Available: Ecorginals
WHY BUY ECO-FRIENDLY DIAPERS?
Disposable diapers make up around 2% of landfill waste in the U.S.
The US alone throws away 20 billion disposable diapers to the tune of 3.5 million tons every year—where they take around 500 years to decompose.
Then there’s waste we don’t see, like the 100 different viruses that may enter nearby groundwater every time a diaper is thrown away. Or the harmful chemicals that make diapers absorbent.
Completing the wasteful trifecta, disposable diapers are putting that college tuition fund down the toilet too.
Until your baby’s potty trained, those single-use toilet bags will rack up a grand total of around $2,000.
Granted, reusable cloth diapers have their drawbacks (namely, you actually have to know how to wash cloth nappies) but they are a better pick from a zero waste baby standpoint.
Be sure to wash them with zero waste laundry detergent and while we’re usually proponents of washing in cold water to save energy, you’ll definitely want to use hot water here.
HOW WE FOUND THE MOST ECO FRIENDLY DIAPERS
There’s a lot of s*** in the diaper industry; and no, we’re not just talking about the stuff in used diapers.
Do sustainable diapers exist?
Yes, but as a new parent, we know you’re already faced with a gazillion decisions about how to support that adorable, snuggly, constantly-pooping mini human in your life.
The easiest way to think about what makes a diaper eco friendly is from the sustainable fashion standpoint.
The same materials that you end up wearing on your body, the same way your clothes are produced, and the same ethical practices of your favorite fashion brands can help inform the choices you make for your baby.
Materials:
Most diapers are made with plastic. Since traditional synthetic fabrics are not the most sustainable fabrics, we like to see sustainable diapers with mostly plant-based or recycled plastic, or none at all.
Instead of polypropylene, polyethylene, and bleach, these brands use plant-based plastics and sustainably-harvested pulps processed without excessive chemicals.
What is the most eco friendly diaper?
Reusable cloth ones. Using the same materials found in sustainable baby clothes like organic cotton (like that used in organic play mats), linen, bamboo, or hemp. Following reusables, it would then be biodegradable nappies (which are not compostable, yet).
However, with bamboo sustainable diapers we want to make sure the bamboo has been processed without the toxic chemicals that are sometimes used to soften the wood pulp.
A recycled-plastic bottle outer layer is the best way to make the diaper both leak-proof and low-waste, but most of these options still use PUL.
- Certifications: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX® 100, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), Nordic Ecolabel, TÜV Austria OK Biobased
Supply chain and labor practices:
Responsible manufacturing hasn’t really made it into the sustainable diaper discussion just yet, but we are happy that some brands are considering it and share where their products are made.
Most of these brands are also small (as small as one person who handmakes everything!) so labor practices aren’t really an issue.
- Certifications: Fair trade, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI)
Green business practices:
Some eco friendly diaper brands are using eco-conscious manufacturing practices, repurposing waste, minimizing water and energy requirements, using eco-friendly packaging, and implementing programs to responsibly recycle/dispose of old diapers.
Community & charitable giving:
While not a required component to the answer to what makes a diaper sustainable, helping cultivate a world we’d be proud to raise babies in is an added bonus.
Being a brand that gives back can mean anything from being a member of 1% for the Planet to donating diapers and baby products to those in need.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON YOUR SUSTAINABLE BABY DIAPERS
Doody calls!
Now you know how to take care of it in a way that’s better for bums and better for the planet.
We know that changing diapers is hard enough, so we certainly don’t want to burden you any further.
That said, if you’re wondering what is the most sustainable diaper, it’s one that also works best for you, your baby, and your budget.
There’s also nothing wrong with experimenting.
If reusable cloth diapers are a hurdle you’re not sure you’re ready to jump, try them out part-time when you’re home. Save the sustainable disposable diapers for outings or when your child’s at daycare or with a babysitter.
Parenting is a journey and there’s no poofect solution.
If you have your eco changing game filed, help out another planet-minded parent by passing along this list of eco friendly diaper brands.
