Diaper Shortage Expected: Time To Switch To Cloth?
Fears of a Global Diaper Shortage after an Explosion in a Japanese Factory
There are fears that the world will be hit by a disposable diaper shortage in the near future due to an explosion in a Japanese chemical plant, according to reports.
The blast occurred on Saturday afternoon, destroying the world’s fifth largest supplier of diapers. A firefighter was killed during the accident and dozens of people were injured.
The explosion destroyed the Nippon Shokubai Co chemical plant that is situated in the coastal city of Himeji, which is approximately 600 kilometers west of the capital city Tokyo.
According to plant workers, a loud bursting noise and temblor was heard after a chemical tank blew up.
The plant experienced powerful blasts and orange flames and thick smoke could be seen from the television footage. An investigation has been launched to determine what caused the blast.
Nippon Shokubai is one of the largest producers of acrylic acid, an ingredient used in making SAP that makes disposable diapers more absorbent.
The plant produces some of the most famous brands of diapers, such as Pampers and Huggies. Nippon Shokubai is reaching out to other manufactures to ensure production is not halted. However, the operations in the plants have been suspended, triggering fears that a global shortage of disposable diapers is inevitable.
Time for a swtich to cloth diapers?
Tessa Row of SmellyDiaper.Com tells eCanadaNow that cloth diapers are a great alternative to commercial diapers.
“People often don’t even give cloth diapers a chance because of their misconceptions,” explained Row. “with a bit of reacheach people are amazed how how easy and “economical” cloth diapers actually are.
“In these tough economic times, families need to be able to count on a reliable price,” says Row. “The price of disposable cloth diapers can change because of something like this, but that’s not true of cloth diapers. Hopefully this will increase awareness.”
