Case Study 01 - Example

A life cycle inventory for three diapering systems

Mass and energy balance, recycle streams, life cycle inventories, tradeoffs in environmental impacts
Background
Disposable diapers, manufactured from paper and petroleum products, are one of the most
convenient diapering systems available, while cloth diapers are often believed to be the most
environmentally sound. Indeed, many of the cloth diaper service industry’s advertizing campaigns
attempt to convince consumers that making the “green” choice is worth a sacrifice in convenience.
The truth is not so clear cut, however. This problem will quantitatively examine the relative energy
requirements and the rates of waste generation associated with the diapering systems, illustrating
the complexity of the environmentally issue.
There are three types of diapering systems considered in this problem: home laundered cloth
diapers, commercially laundered cloth diapers, and disposable diapers containing a superabsorbent
gel. The results of life cycle inventories for the three systems are given in table 1. Energy
requirement and waste inventories for all phases of the life cycle, from new material acquisition to
final disposal, are included.
Table 01: Energy/waste Inventory data per 1000 Diapers for Three Diapering Systems
Impact Disposable Cloth Diapers
Diapers
Commercially Home Laundered
Laundered
Energy requirements, KJ x 106 3.58 2.22 4.01
Solid waste, m3 0.48 0.065 0.065
Atmospheric Emission, kg 3.76 2.04 4.35
Waterborne waste, kg 0.68 2.63 2.76
Water Volume requirement, liters 4,921 12,870 10,220

Problems:
1. Determine the number of Disposable diapers required to per week per baby using following
details. Compare the different diapering systems (Disposable diapers usage is expected to
be less because disposable diapers are changed less frequently and never required double
or triple diapering)
a. Average of cloth diapers per week per baby = 68
b. 15.8 billion disposable diapers are sold annually (3.04 x108 /week)
c. 3,787,000 babies are born each year
d. Children ware diapers for the first 30 months
e. Disposable diapers are used on 85% children
 2. Complete table 2 using the data in table 1. Find the ratio of impact to home laundered
Impact

Table 02: Ratio of impacts to home laundered impact

Cloth Diapers
Disposable
Impact
Diapers Commercially
Home Laundered
Laundered

Energy requirements 0.5 0.55 1

Solid waste 1

Atmospheric Emission 1

Waterborne waste 1

Water Volume requirement 1

3. Using completed graph compare three diapering systems quantitatively.

4. If the values in table 1 have ∓10 % accuracy, discuss the real differences without
quantitative comparison.
5. Using the data in table 3, determine the percentage of disposable diapers that would have
to be recycled in order to make the solid landfill requirement equal for cloth and disposal
systems.
Table 03: Recycle ratios and their Impacts on solid waste for disposable diapers
Percentage of diapers recycled Solid waste per 1000 diapers (m3)
0 0.481
25 0.368
50 0.254
75 0.138
100 0.022

Question for Discussion

1. Do you think that the differences between the two cloth diaper systems are more
meaningful than the difference between cloth and disposables? Why? Is it possible to
determine which of the three systems causes the least environmental impacts? What might
be more meaningful comparison