An Australian company plans to enter the global market for environmentally friendly plastic baby diapers with a product it claims will be 90 percent biodegradable.
EcoQuest Ltd., headquartered in Perth, has announced plans to market its Little Takas-brand diapers in Australia and overseas.
The firm said it has ordered raw materials for its contracted Chinese manufacturer to produce an initial 1 million diapers that comply with Australian Standard AS4736-2006 governing biodegradable plastics.
Matt Hiscox, EcoQuest sales and marketing manager, would not name the Chinese manufacturer. He said the diapers will be made from polylactic acid film and other biodegradable films.
The company also has engaged a new managing director, Stephen Moncur, who has experience in the biodegradable diaper business. Moncur was formerly operations director of Stockholm-based disposable diaper company Naty AB. He previously headed the European operations of U.S.-based store-brand diaper manufacturer Arquest Inc. of Cranbury N.J.
Production of Little Takas was to have started in June.
EcoQuest's former acting managing director, Michael Greenup, who remains a board member, said existing non-degradable disposable diapers are one of the world's biggest environmental problems, taking “decades to break down in landfills across the globe.”
Hiscox said the company plans to market the diapers initially in Australia, but is “assessing international options [in countries where] environmentalism is strong.”