French retailer Carrefour is conducting a pilot to collect used diapers in Paris in association with Pampers and TerraCycle.
The trial in Ile-de-France is utilising an innovative device that allows parents to dispose of used baby diapers of all brands in one of the bins installed in five Carrefour stores in Paris for recycling.
Julien Tremblin, managing director of TerraCycle Europe, said, "This partnership with Carrefour and Pampers to collect used baby diapers is a unique opportunity to prove together that all waste can find a second life.
"We invite parents wishing to participate in this innovative pilot to go to the available collection points to drop off their used diapers in the connected bins in the store."
Recycled Diapers
Around 11 million baby diapers are used every day in France, with no collection system in place for used diapers.
The test phase of diaper collection, conducted from May to November 2021, will provide valuable initial lessons to assess the feasibility of a larger-scale collection involving the various stakeholders.
At the end of the pilot, the collected materials will be recycled into new products. For example, recycled cellulose will be used to make furniture, while recycled plastic will be used to make bottle caps or trash cans for diapers.
Pilot Project
Pampers has already launched other used diaper collection pilots in three European countries.
Commented on the partnership, Laetitia Xoual, director of the Pampers brand in France, said, "We are proud to partner with Carrefour and TerraCycle [for] this collection pilot.
"Collecting used diapers is an essential step in giving new life to these products, regardless of the technological solution used next (recycling, composting, etc.)."
Bertrand Swiderski, CSR Director of the Carrefour Group, said the trial is a positive step in the retailer's journey towards a "circular economy".
"By partnering with Pampers and TerraCycle, we offer a concrete solution to our customers, [and] they can now drop them off in one of the five pilot stores to give them a second life."
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
