The answer to this question is nuanced, as there are no India (Tropical or Developing Countries)-specific studies comparing the impact of disposables and cloth diapers on the environment.
However, let’s first understand the lifecycle of disposables and cloth diapers. For better clarity, we will segregate cloth diapers into synthetic and natural fiber cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers go through a highly chemical-driven production process involving bleaching of timber , SAP (Absorbent material) & plastic production. During production, toxic chemicals like dioxin released due to bleaching, microplastics etc. It is also energy and water intensive process. After usage, they are typically thrown in the garbage, mostly with excreta. This releases methane, furan, dioxin, and microplastics into the landfill, which then finds its way into water, soil, and, ultimately, our food. Studies suggest that disposable diapers can take around 500+ years to fully decompose.
Source of image: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Landfill-pollution-by-diapers-Statistically-it-is-reported-that-300-million-users-need_fig1_345246888
Synthetic cloth diapers made from fabrics like microfiber, micro fleece, suede, athletic jersey, bamboo rayon, etc., are essentially plastics and by-products of petroleum refining. Their production is chemical-driven, though likely to be less so than disposables. During their usage, a significant amount of water and electricity is used for washing and drying (if a dryer is used). Their end-of-life decomposition will also take at least 200+ years. Not to mention, microplastics are released into the environment with every wash and onto the baby’s bum.
Natural fiber-based cloth diapers are made from cotton, hemp, and organic bamboo. A lot of water, pesticides, and electricity are used in the process, from growing the fibers to finally making the yarn. Organically certified fibers (GOTS, Oeko-Tex) help minimize this impact. During their use, they also generate a carbon footprint due to the usage of water and electricity for washing & drying, but they don’t release microplastics in water or on the baby’s bum. Their end-of-life decomposition is faster, usually taking less than a year.
Regardless of whether the cloth diaper is synthetic or natural, the outer cover used for waterproofing is polyester in most cases, unless you opt for cotton or wool covers (read more about wool covers here). Therefore, the outer covers share a similar lifecycle to synthetic cloth diapers.
According to a 2008 UK based study,one baby using cloth diapers from 0 to 2.5 years accounts for 570 kg CO2 equivalent emissions, slightly more than the 550 kg CO2 equivalent emissions from using disposable diapers. The same study suggests that CO2 emissions can be brought down by 16% if line drying is used, which is the default for most tropical countries including India.
Now, this study has many assumptions and statistics that do not directly apply to India. For example, it assumes that cloth diapers can only be used for one more baby. Further, power rates and CO2 emissions will vary between UK and India. However, in the absence of India-specific studies, if line drying is taken into account, the CO2 emissions for cloth diapers come down to 479 kg, which is lower than that of disposables.
Furthermore, by washing every other day and washing your clothes with the baby’s diapers, a household can easily reduce its carbon footprint. We switched to alternate-day washing as my husband was concerned about water usage during the summer in Bengaluru. As a result, we now have only four laundry loads a week (excluding bed sheets, washcloths, etc.), which is just two loads more than what we had before the baby.
Conclusion
While there are environment impacts of any diapering option, this analysis suggests that cloth diapers—particularly those made from natural fibers and maintained with environmentally conscious practices—offer advantages over disposables in the Indian context. Cloth diapers (both synthetic and natural) reduce waste dumped in landfill , decompose faster, and have lower carbon footprint when line-dried compared to Disposable diapers. This does make cloth diapers a compelling choice for environmentally conscious parents in tropical countries like India.
However, each family must weigh these environmental considerations alongside practical factors like water availability, time constraints, and their baby’s specific needs. Rather than viewing the choice as binary, parents can adopt hybrid approaches to balance comfort and minimize their overall environmental impact. As we await India-specific research, making informed choices based on available data and adapting practices to local conditions remains our best way towards sustainable parenting.