EXCLUSIVE THE DUCHESS OF YORK: I'm on a mission to rid nappies of plastic - with my fifth grandchild on the way By THE DUCHESS OF YORK FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 17:08 EST, 11 November 2024 | Updated: 18:52 EST, 11 November 2024 e-mail 5 View comments In a few months I’m going to become a grandmother for the fifth time. August, Ernest, Sienna and Wolfie will be joined by another beautiful boy or girl, as our family grows once more. As all grandmothers know, from story-time, to tea-time, to nap-time, family life is a hands-on affair – not least when it comes to changing nappies.
Over the course of my life I’ve been no stranger to it! When my first grandchild was born, I rolled up my sleeves as though a 30-year hiatus had never happened. Seeing nappy after nappy thrown into the bin, I began to wonder: what are these nappies made of and where are they going? Researching it, I was stunned: they are full of plastic waste, each one damaging our environment. Nappies are one of the largest contributors to the plastic waste crisis globally, according to the UN, and researchers say that each baby will use approximately 4,000 of them.
Every minute, more than 380,000 nappies are thrown away around the world, and the World Economic Forum says that it is producing nearly 40 million tons of waste each year. Since my daughters Beatrice and Eugenie were born, awareness about plastic pollution and the harm it does has skyrocketed. The Duchess of York pictured with daughter Princess Be.
