Environment

This was declared by the UK Environment Agency back in 2008 when they re-published their Cloth vs. Disposable ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ report. The conclusion of this revised report stated that using cloth puts parents in control of their carbon footprint, helping them decrease it by a whopping 40%!

Some out there claimed that because of the energy used in the washing and drying process, there was little difference in the amount of waste produced when using cloth over disposables. This claim has since been dispelled by the UK Environment Agency. Their previous report made some seriously flawed assumptions about how cloth nappies are cleaned, including the below...

• Boil washing nappies: Maybe in the '50s and '60s, but not nowadays! Our cloth nappies can be washed at up to 60 degrees and you can even wash your newborn nappies in with your normal washing.
• Tumble drying: We all know this is the last resort. Environment aside, long term it’s better for your bank balance to line dry.
• Bleaching: Definitely don't do that to your washable nappies! It’s really bad for the fabrics.
• Ironing: No way! It'll melt your cloth nappies!

Hats off to the Environment Agency for sorting their report out and dispelling any myths about reusable nappies and their effect on the environment.

So now that’s been cleared up, let’s talk about how we keep our company’s carbon footprint as low as possible...

Production

We source our materials as locally as possible and manufacture all of our nappies and accessories right here in the UK. Wherever possible, we ship goods by surface. Whilst this takes longer, it uses less fuel and less carbon is emitted.

In 2020 we had to implement some pretty major changes in the factory. Planning ahead and to avoid disruption to supply, we decided to source some of our manufacturing for the Mainland EU market out with the UK. Bamboozles and PeeNut Pads and Boosters will be made in Turkey by a trusted manufacturer we've known for the last 15 years. We're confident in their ability to match the quality TotsBots are so well known for. The Turkish products are all checked in accordance with our stringent quality standards and of course, covered by our TotsBots guarantee. These will have ''Made in Turkey'' labels and are destined for the EU market. 

Packaging

All retail packaging must be sufficient to pack the contents and no more. We don’t believe in ‘shelf-grabbing’. There’s nothing worse than purchasing a product that has more plastic in the packaging than the product itself.

Our packaging is reusable wherever possible. The multi-packs come in a handy zipped PVC bag, great for all those pens and crayons that can accumulate! Our single cloth nappies and wraps are packed in oxy-biodegradable packaging.

We reuse boxes for shipping where we can and recycle those we can’t. 

Waste

So that nothing goes to waste, we donate any fabric nappies that we can to Forever Angels and Watoto Kicheko, a baby home and orphanage in Tanzania. We also recycle all plastics, cans and paper waste produced in the factory and offices with the help of a local company. If anyone in the Glasgow area wants to give them a shout, they take all the hassle out of recycling and are a great bunch of guys.