Diapers: They’re not just for babies anymore 👶💩

[Quartz Obsession] Diapers January 24, 2018 Getting to the bottom of it --------------------------------------------------------------- Paper products giant Kimberly-Clark had [bad news for its workers]( today, announcing that it would lay off 13% of its workforce, or 5,000 people, due largely to a slowdown in sales of Huggies diapers and other household products. The shortfall has everything to do with global demographics: People are having fewer babies, reversing a 50-year disposable diaper boom that started when [more women began entering the workforce]( after World War II. Disposable diapers are the engine of their own demise: They enabled more women to have jobs outside the home, which ultimately led to lower birthrates and less demand for diapers—at least, the kind that babies use. 🐦 [Tweet about this!]( 👍 [Post this on Facebook!]( As one diaper segment slows down, [another is taking its place]( Sales of adult incontinence products like Kimberly-Clark’s Depends are surging as the global population ages. In countries like Japan, which has the world’s largest percentage of elderly citizens, sales of [adult diapers are already overtaking the baby kind](. So let’s hold our noses and dive into the history of diapers, and what they tell us about the modern world. Trust us: This is some interesting 💩. 🌐 [View this email on the web]( A brief history [16th century:]( Europeans begin using strips of cotton woven in a diamond pattern to swaddle their infants. The strips were generally “[left in place for at least three days]( with the feces and urine.” 😫 [1880s:]( The safety pin is invented, allowing the fastening of cloth diapers with less risk of an infant puncture wound. 1887: American innovator Maria Allen patents the first mass production method for cloth diapers. [1944:]( Swedish paper company Pauliström designs the first disposable diaper pad, made of cellulose tissue and held within rubber pants. [1948:]( British housewife Valerie Hunter Gordon patents a disposable cellulose-and-cotton pad held within a plastic cover. [1949:]( American inventor Marion Donovan starts selling the world’s first waterproof diaper cover, “The Boater.” [1950:]( Boots UK uses Gordon’s design to make the Paddi diaper. [1961:]( A team led by Procter & Gamble engineer Victor Mills creates Pampers, the first fully disposable diaper. Watch this “My mommy loves me!” Here’s an early commercial for Pampers, “the discovery that makes diapers old-fashioned.” Fun fact Jellyfish may be a perfect ingredient for biodegradable diapers. As we told you in [a previous Quartz Obsession]( an Israeli company called Cine’al is developing [a super-absorbent material made of pulverized jellyfish guts]( which could also be used in tampons and bandages. (The stuff that makes jellyfish sting is, of course, removed first.) By the numbers [3,800:]( Average number of diapers used by British children by the age of two and a half. [146.5kg:]( Weight of those diapers, excluding urine and feces. [$2.7 billion:]( Euromonitor estimate of the adult diaper market by 2020, a 48% increase from 2015. [$6.3 billion:]( Euromonitor estimate of the baby diaper market by 2020, a 2.6% increase from 2015. [33%:]( Percentage of adults who have bladder control issues, according to the Urology Care Foundation. 80% of them are women. [$1.20:]( Cost of a Depend Silhouette Active Fit adult diaper. [$0.18:]( Cost of a Huggies Snug & Dry infant diaper. [56%:]( Kimberly-Clark market share in the US incontinence-garment business, compared to 9% for Procter & Gamble and 7% for Svenska Cellulosa, according to Euromonitor. Cloth vs disposable Which to choose? Here’s a dirty diaper secret: It depends who you ask, and it’s easy to find statistics to back up either side of the long-running debate. If you’re thinking about the environment, disposables indisputably overflow more landfills and waste incinerators, and are largely made from petrochemicals. Cloth diapers carry a heavier toll in water usage and pesticide use, due to the notoriously input-intensive cotton-growing sector. The UK government attempted to [analyze the complex trade-offs]( and determined that the manufacturing of disposables had a greater environmental cost than their impact on landfills. However, the overall carbon footprint of cloth opposed to disposables was almost identical: 570kg of carbon dioxide equivalents versus 550 kg, respectively. One thing’s clear—disposables are winning. It’s a societal shift that began after World War II as women in developed countries [moved en masse into the workforce]( and it’s still playing out in fast-growing developing countries like China and India, where disposables are seen as a mark of modernity and affluence. And for the booming adult incontinence market, it’s really no contest: Adults are much more likely to opt for unobtrusive disposables. After all, many of them are already wearing cotton “diapers,” better known as underwear, and it’s not working out so well. Whoops Sweden’s SCA, the world’s biggest hygiene product maker, recently sent a sample of its adult diapers to every Swedish man over the age of 55. It was [besieged by angry phone calls]( from men who were perhaps not reconciled to needing the company’s products quite yet. Let’s talk about urinary incontinence --------------------------------------------------------------- It has long been a taboo, but expect that to change. An aging population means more people are going to have trouble controlling their bladders. And it’s not just aging—incontinence can be caused by dozens of other factors. [There are two main types]( stress incontinence, which can be caused by coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise; and overactive bladder—an urgent, uncontrollable “gotta go” feeling. Many people have both. Pregnancy is a risk factor for women, even if they deliver via a C-section. For men, prostate health problems are a major risk factor. There are also [many steps you can take]( besides wearing an adult diaper. Making adult diapers cool Diaper makers are desperate to end the stigma of adult incontinence products. Ads for Kimberly-Clark’s Depend Silhouettes “feature laughing, long-legged models who look barely over 40,” [Bloomberg reports](. And in [this video]( pantless Kimberly-Clark employees filmed a mock rap promoting “underwareness.” Take me down this space diaper rabbit hole NASA isn’t known for scandalous love triangles, with one exception. In 2007, Space Shuttle veteran Lisa Nowak was [charged with kidnapping a woman]( who was involved with a fellow astronaut. The detail everyone remembers: Police said Nowak drove cross-country while wearing special NASA-designed diapers to confront her romantic rival, though she later disputed the allegation. NASA has spent millions of dollars developing technology like the [urine collection and transfer assembly (UCTA).]( Check out this article at How Stuff Works for more on NASA’s space diapers. The nappy/diaper divide --------------------------------------------------------------- Americans and Canadians use “diaper,” while the UK and most of its other former colonies use “nappy.” The [roots of the word diaper]( go all the way back to Ancient Greece, and appear to refer to the cotton cloth itself. Nappy, meanwhile, dates back to about 1920 and is [derived from the word napkin](. The divide isn’t absolute—[Shakespeare and Samuel Pepys both mention “diapers”]( it’s ultimately yet another example of English speakers being divided by their common language. Diaper technology It may not be quite as complex as a smartphone, but the modern disposable diaper is an amazing feat of engineering and chemistry. Starting from the baby’s bottom, [it consists of]( 1. A porous, hydrophobic layer that can wick moisture (OK, let’s just admit: pee) into… 2. …an inner core made of a [super-absorbent polymer]( (SAP), also called slush powder, which can hold a mind-boggling amount of liquid—about 300 times its own weight. 3. A breathable non-porous outer layer (basically, Gore-tex for your baby’s butt) that keeps any stray moisture off of clothes or the carpet. Quotable “We suggested the untapped opportunity for collaborations between adult incontinence brands and apparel and footwear players. By combining the proven functional credentials of a brand like Tena with the fashion credentials and built-in distribution of an apparel brand like Tesco’s ‘F+F’, players can develop a distinct advantage in appealing to a wider spectrum of users.” — [market research firm Euromonitor]( Did you know? Amish residents of Auburn, Kentucky, sued the city for a law that [required their horses to wear diapers]( claiming it violated the community’s religious freedoms. Quiz Which of the following have not been used by indigenous or prehistoric societies as primitive diapers? Rabbit skinsMoss Dried caterpillarsShredded bark Correct. Pre-industrial civilizations had a variety of ways to handle infant poop and pee. The Chuckchi in Russia’s far east, for example, “carried their babies in fur bags with flaps filled with dry moss.” Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Poll How do you feel about diapers now? [Click here to vote]( Going to start toilet training myself while there’s still timeI’m wearing one right nowThis is why I’m never having children The fine print In yesterday’s poll about [Rosie the Riveter]( 46% of you said you’re ready to smash the patriarchy. Today’s email was written by [Adam Pasick](. Images: Wikimedia Commons (Marion Donovan), [Wikimedia/David Shankbone (adult diapers]( [Tenor/steff (adult diaper gif)]( AP Photo/David Lubarsky (colorful diapers), [Pixabay/Clker-Free-Vector-Images (baby silhouette)]( Sound off --------------------------------------------------------------- ✏️ [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20diapers&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) 🗂 [What do you think of when you hear “index cards”?](mailto:obsession%2Bprompt@qz.com?cc=&subject=Did%20you%20at%20least%20recycle%20your%20used%20ones%3F%20&body=) 📬 [Forward this email to a friend](mailto:replace_with_friends_email@qz.com?cc=obsession%2Bforward@qz.com&subject=Quartz%20Obsession%20about%20diapers.%20&body=Thought%20you%27d%20enjoy.%20%0A%0ARead%20it%20here%20http%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femail%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1188413%2F%0ASign%20up%20for%20the%20newsletter%20at%20http%3A%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fquartz-obsession) The correct answer to the quiz is Dried caterpillars. 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