Every year in France, early childhood facilities generate significant volumes of waste related to diapers. A conventional disposable diaper takes several hundred years to decompose. In light of this observation, several municipal nurseries are testing compostable alternatives, produced locally, to reduce their footprint. Les Celluloses de Brocéliande, based in Ploërmel in Brittany, are at the center of these experiments.
Compostable diaper in nursery: what French regulations really impose
Before even discussing the product, it is essential to understand the legal framework. In France, the use of the term “biodegradable” on a product or packaging is prohibited. The term “compostable” is strictly regulated, particularly when compostability only applies in industrial settings, not in a home composter.
This distinction changes the game for nurseries. A facility that communicates with parents about its zero waste approach cannot claim that its diapers “disappear naturally.” It must specify the composting conditions, the type of installation required, and the associated collection system.
Products falling under an REP (extended producer responsibility) system must display sorting instructions in accordance with the Triman and Info-tri labeling. For a nursery, this means that switching to compostable diapers is not just about changing suppliers: it is also necessary to verify the compliance of packaging, instructions, and information provided to families.
Several pilot establishments in Paris, such as the Louis Blanc nursery in the 10th arrondissement, had to integrate these constraints from the start of their experiments in 2022.
Some innovative nurseries are betting on the celluloses of Brocéliande for babies to reconcile diaper performance with regulatory requirements on environmental claims.
Manufacturing compostable diapers by Les Celluloses de Brocéliande: materials and process
Les Celluloses de Brocéliande is the first French producer of baby diapers. Their work on compostable diapers began several years ago, in partnership with Les Alchimistes, a company specializing in urban composting.
The principle is based on replacing conventional plastic components (layers, elastics, adhesives) with materials of natural or bio-based origin, capable of decomposing in an industrial composter. The technical challenge is twofold: to maintain the absorption and leak-proof qualities of a high-performance diaper while ensuring that each component degrades within the specified timeframes.
The prototypes were tested in selected Parisian nurseries designated by the City of Paris. The feedback from the field focuses on several concrete criteria:
- The durability of the diaper over several hours, comparable to a standard disposable diaper, without leaks or irritation
- The ease of handling for nursery staff, who change dozens of diapers each day
- The compatibility with separate collection of organic waste, without requiring additional sorting actions from childcare assistants
The available data do not yet allow for conclusions on the economic viability at a large scale. The unit cost of a compostable diaper remains higher than that of a conventional diaper, and the suitable industrial composting system is not uniformly deployed across the territory.
Collection and industrial composting: the missing link often for zero waste nurseries
Producing a compostable diaper is not enough. Without an appropriate collection and treatment system, the diaper ends up being incinerated or landfilled, like any other waste. This is the point where the field feedback diverges the most among the pilot nurseries.
The partnership between Les Celluloses de Brocéliande and Les Alchimistes aimed precisely to solve this problem. Les Alchimistes operate urban composting sites capable of processing organic waste, including diapers, at temperatures and cycle durations compatible with the complete decomposition of bio-based materials.
In practice, establishing this logistical chain in a nursery requires several conditions:
- A specific collection contract with an organic waste service provider, separate from household waste collection
- A dedicated storage space in the nursery, with identified bins to separate used diapers from other waste
- Training for staff on sorting instructions to avoid contamination of bins with non-compostable products (conventional wipes, plastic packaging)
The deployment of organic waste sorting has been supported by public resources dedicated to local authorities. Not all municipalities currently have operational separate collection, which effectively limits access for nurseries located outside major metropolitan areas to this type of solution.
Compostable diapers in nursery: known limits and open questions
The Parisian experiment has laid the groundwork, but several questions remain unanswered. The first concerns the volume of compost actually produced from the diapers. A used diaper contains organic materials (feces, urine) mixed with absorbent materials. The agronomic quality of the final compost depends on the treatment conditions and the exact composition of the prototypes.
The second concerns scaling up. Eight pilot nurseries in Paris represent a limited volume. Transitioning to several hundred structures would require an industrialization of the collection and composting system that does not yet exist at this scale.
The third touches on regulatory restrictions on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which can impact materials in contact with the infant’s skin. Ongoing European regulatory developments could modify the permitted compositions, including for bio-based products.
The economic model remains to be stabilized. Municipal nurseries benefit from public budgets that absorb the additional costs, but private or associative nurseries do not necessarily have this margin. Zero waste in nurseries depends as much on the downstream system as on the product itself, and it is on this logistical link that the long-term viability of these initiatives hinges.