Carrefour, Pampers piloting diapers recycling in France

05 / 07 / 2021

By Marwa Nassar - -

Pampers, Carrefour and TerraCycle teamed up to pilot recycling diapers in France as about 11 million baby nappies are used daily in France.

This pilot scheme is a major opportunity to find out if a system to collect used nappies can be set up that would give them a second life. Parents will be able to drop them off at five connected bins located in Carrefour stores in the capital and throughout the Paris region.They will then be recycled, thus helping to reduce waste for the planet.

The issue of waste management is complex. It concerns everybody at all levels of society – manufacturers, state authorities and waste management companies, right down to consumers. This test phase, which will run from 31 May 2021 until the end of November 2021, will be an opportunity to learn a few useful lessons so we can assess the feasibility of scaling up the recycling scheme and involving various stakeholders, as well as securing the commitment of consumers – all in a bid to reduce the amount of nappy waste in France.

At the end of the pilot phase, the nappies collected will be recycled, thus giving them a second life. For example, the recycled cellulose that they contain can be used to make furniture, while their recycled plastic can be used for making bottle caps or bins for the nappies. Pampers has already introduced a number of other used nappy collection pilot schemes in three European countries.

“We are proud to be teaming up with Carrefour and TerraCycle to launch this pilot collection scheme. Collecting used nappies is key in giving these products a second lease of life – regardless of the technological solution that ends up being used (recycling, composting, etc.) There are currently no systems in France for collecting nappies separately. This pilot scheme is an opportunity for us to learn about this collection model with the parents who will be using the in-store connected bins, and with our partners working with us on this project,” said Laetitia Xoual, Pampers’ brand manager for France.

“This partnership with Carrefour and Pampers under which used baby nappies will be collected is a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate together that all waste can be given a second life. We are asking parents interested in taking part in this innovative pilot scheme to visit one of the available collection points so they can drop off their used nappies in the in-store connected bins,” said Julien Tremblin, CEO of TerraCycle Europe.

“For many years now, Carrefour has been committed to the circular economy and is always on the lookout for new initiatives that will help its customers reduce their waste. Baby nappies have a vital role in the lives of young parents and those of their children, but there is not yet an organised collection and recycling system in place in France for them. By teaming up with Pampers and TerraCycle, we have come up with a concrete solution for our customers. Henceforth, they will be able to drop them off at one of the five pilot stores, thus giving them a second lease of life,” said Bertrand Swiderski, the Carrefour Group’s CSR Director.