Diaper Cycle

Diaper Cycle

Diaper Cycle

https://vimeo.com/402116151

We offer a circular system of 100% bio-based & compostable diaper inlays to parents and take back used ones, to be transformed into fertile soil substrate. Our innovation is the inlay, which uses only non-chemically treated raw fibers as absorption material. The inlays are used in combination with washable outer pants known from cloth diaper systems.

We developed, and successfully tested, a distribution & recollection system in pilot studies with Berlin parents, this year partnering with the Berlin district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Parents receive diaper inlays and return the soiled ones on average once a week to a distribution point close to their home.

The resulting soil substrate is rich in carbon and will be used for climate farming and tree planting campaigns. The production line of our diaper inlays is able to be installed anywhere in the world, not only in industrialised countries.

Our long term vision is to build a social empowering network that enables entrepreneurs in the world (especially female entrepreneurs) to establish a decentralized production of diaper inlays with natural materials sourced from their local area, providing job opportunities and strengthening the local community and economy.

We offer a circular system of 100% bio-based & compostable diaper inlays to parents and take back used ones, to be transformed into fertile soil substrate. Our innovation is the inlay, which uses only non-chemically treated raw fibers as absorption material. Hemp produces twice as much fiber as cotton, uses less water, returns 60% of nutrients back to the soil, if dried in the field. The inlays are used in combination with washable outer pants known from cloth diaper systems.

We developed, and successfully tested, a distribution & recollection system in 4 pilot studies with Berlin parents, this year partnering with the Berlin district Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Parents receive diaper inlays and return the soiled ones on average once a week to a distribution point close to their home (D2C model).

Within a monthly subscription fee, everything is included for happy babies and parents, taking away any upfront investments by the parents.

The resulting soil substrate is rich in carbon and will be used for climate farming and tree planting campaigns. With a carbon tax like in Sweden, we could offer the diaper service for free to the parents based on revenues from carbon offset programmes in the long term goal.

The production line of our diaper inlays will be able to be installed anywhere in the world, not only in industrialized countries. So far people from more than 45 countries contacted us and around 40% of the requests are from developing countries.

Our long term vision is to build a social empowering network that enables entrepreneurs in the world (especially female entrepreneurs) to establish a decentralized production of diaper inlays with natural materials sourced from their local area, providing job opportunities and strengthening the local community and economy.

From waste to new values!

Approx. 500,000 tons of nappy waste are incinerated in Germany every year. Without an official recycling route for used nappies, no suitable products are offered.
Another problem is the decreasing quality of topsoil all over the world. There are several causes but the main reason is that we have lost connection to nature.

DYCLE came up to connect these two world-wide challenges and proposes new ways of how baby diapers are to be produced, used and upcycled. Our motto is "Babies make trees grow". Our goal is to help families to reduce the ecological footprint of their little ones. And moreover, create new values for the generations to come!

Our story: Over the past few years, the DYCLE team has worked with parents and their babies, scientists and experts, cloth diaper consultants and volunteers to develop our own diaper inlays. Our passion is to create rich Terra Preta soil substrate. We estimate that a 1000 liters of rich soil can be produced from one year’s supply of diapers from a single child.

To achieve the best soil quality possible we chose to design our compostable inlay with only a small number of materials, without any unnecessary additives. All materials are suitable for composting and will degrade in the ground as well as in water. The main absorption material is made from natural fibers that are available in the region and are not chemically processed.

Here, more impact! (additional information for you)

Good for babies:
- 100% compostable inlay from only 3 plant-based source materials (no additives);
- absorbent core made from 100% physically treated (no chemicals) natural hemp fibres, byproduct from local agriculture from Berlin.

Good for parents:
Complete zero-waste solution for baby diapers, which is easy to use; Complete service at a fixed price, plannable costs for parents;
80% less washing compared to cloth diapering;
- Collection method tried and tested to be 100% odor-free, suitable for indoor use;
- Bringing together families in the neighbourhoods, fostering social cohesion.

Good for the planet:
- threefold impact can be expected per child and year:
(1) reducing the CO2 emissions by not burning waste (250 kg of CO2),
(2) increase of CO2 sequestration in the soil (500 kg of CO2)
(3) regenerating* soil fertility, thus increasing plant growth and health.

Good for future entrepreneurs:
- Scalable business opportunities for farmers and producers worldwide.

https://dycle.org/en