Hemp-Style

One of the most important topics when a newborn baby arrives at home is certainly nappies.

Unfortunately, nowadays many parents do not ask the nappy question, as disposable nappies have become a normality in our world, but we hardly ever ask ourselves how much a disposable nappy pollutes and, above all, with what substances it is made and what substances our little ones' most intimate parts come into contact with.

I remember (obviously from the photos) that when I was little (which was obviously a while ago, but maybe not too long) my mum used to put muslin (also known as muslin) cotton on me, tied with the two laces and then over a plastic maxi-panty which was supposed to protect me from the big dangerous spills.

However, between the 1960s and 1970s, the advent of more resistant materials and technological innovations, accompanied by an exponential number of births led to the creation of a suuuuper nappy, made of polypropylene (i.e. a thermoplastic polymer obtained from petroleum fractions) and cellulose, which was very well suited to a faster and more hectic life and in what way also enabled a certain emancipation of women. [1]

Comfort towards sustainability

Nowadays, many of us don't even ask the question about it: the ubiquitous disposable nappy is certainly more convenient and quicker, immediate and above all saves us a lot of time, so precious nowadays, especially for mothers (and fathers) who also want (or have) to work as well as take care of their children. Now with the advancing retirement age, even grandparents, who used to be very present and helped families take care of their offspring, can no longer afford to look after grandchildren, as they too are still in the labour market.

Perhaps it is for all these reasons that I mentioned above, that when I heard Steef Fleur, the creator of Billie Wonder, present her hemp washable nappies, I was so astonished, that I decided to elaborate on her idea in an interview!

Back to the roots, but with the addition of textile hemp: Billie Wonder's innovative nappy

HSM: Hemp fabric is still not very common in Europe, how did you come across this ancient yet still rare fabric?

BW: Before developing the hemp washable nappy, I was a professional photographer with a focus on documentaries. During a photo shoot in the USA at hemp fields in 2015, I first discovered the washable nappy. I remember being so excited that I immediately told my husband, "When we have our children one day, they absolutely must wear washable nappies!" It was a wonderful discovery, because nowadays disposable nappies have become the norm and many parents don't wonder, and many don't know, the negative environmental impact that cellulose nappies have on our environment.

HSM: So you decided to sell the washable nappy in the Netherlands?

BW: I started talking about washable nappies to everyone I knew, because compared to before, maybe even when we were little, the washable nappy has developed and improved substantially! So I opened a webshop also focusing a lot on images and started selling other brands' washable nappies, to spread knowledge and raise awareness.

HSM: When did you decide to create a textile hemp washable nappy?

BW: The 'resale' site worked well, but my main interest was to make a washable nappy entirely from textile hemp. In 2020 I re-imagined Billie Wonder and decided to do a feasibility study to see if it was possible to make a washable nappy entirely of textile hemp.

Unfortunately, the study found that this was not possible and so I had to look for a viable alternative, finally finding the compromise between textile hemp and (certified) organic cotton.

It was a long process, we evaluated and tested different fabrics and finally decided on a blend of hemp and organic cotton. Our first collection came out in February 2022 and we are now selling our nappies all over Europe via our e-commerce. In addition, we created a special Capsule Collection "Mama'en" with Nina Pierson, a Dutch momfluencer, who has always been oriented towards washable nappies and natural fatherhood.

HSM: What does the textile hemp and organic cotton nappy look like?

‍‍BW: The washable nappy consists of two parts: a water-resistant part and an absorbent part.: The washable nappy consists of two parts: a water-resistant part and an absorbent part.

The water-resistant part is made of PUL or laminated polyurethane fabric. This is a waterproof, soft, breathable and durable material and is used in most washable nappies.

The absorbent part, on the other hand, consists of hemp fabric (55%) and unbleached and undyed organic cotton (45%). The added value of using hemp fabric for the absorbent part lies in the fact that hemp fabric is more absorbent than cotton fabric, requires zero pesticides and very little water for cultivation and does not impoverish the soil.

Finally, to facilitate the transition from disposable to washable nappies, we have also prepared a trial kit, or 'The Trial Kit', which includes everything we need to start saving money while also reducing our environmental impact. but most importantly, our children benefit too

HSM: What are the main benefits of a hemp textile washable nappy?

The benefits of a washable hemp nappy are mainly twofold: firstly, being in direct contact with the intimate parts of babies, it is important to emphasise that hemp fabric has considerable antibacterial properties, also accompanied by greater absorbency than cotton fabric.

Secondly, hemp fabric is better for the baby's skin and also for our environment, as it reduces waste by at least 8% (this is true for all washable nappies, not just those made of hemp and cotton - ed.) This makes washable nappies more cost-effective than disposable nappies.

Finally, the use of the washable nappy facilitates and speeds up the transition from nappy to potty.

HSM: An important aspect of any hemp product is also the production aspect. Were you able to find good suppliers in Europe for your project?

‍BW: I have contacted and visited several factories in Europe, from East to West and especially in Portugal, but unfortunately no supplier has been able to meet our demands as completely as our current supplier in China.

Our aim was to create a collection of textile hemp washable nappies and reduce our environmental impact, but at an affordable cost.

In addition, our supplier in China is a small company specialising in the production of washable nappies, with production being local and organic; the workers are not underpaid and above all, we visited the factory and ascertained that the production corresponds to our standard. China is currently the largest producer of hemp and hemp fibre and as such has more expertise and knowledge of the fabric than other countries (also because, in spite of Europe and the USA, it has never abandoned the production of industrial hemp - ed).

Finally, to further reduce our environmental impact, our product is transported by sea from China, and in the Netherlands we transport via a logistics service that uses biofuel (for long distances) and then bike carriers for shorter distances.

‍HSM: What does the future hold for Billie Wonder?

BW: For now we are focused on washable nappies but it would be absolutely interesting to extend the collection by creating muslins in hemp fabric.

HSM: Thank you so much Steef for sharing your story with us! I hope many parents will consider switching from disposable to washable hemp and cotton nappies!