New Mummy goes to Frankfurt – Pampers Trip

Last month me, Carly, Hannah, Karin and Sabina where taken to Frankfurt by Fleishman-Hillard and Procter and Gamble to see the Pampers development centre. Why? Well one to hear about their new Dry Max nappies and two I think to do some damage limitation with the whole Pampers nappies are harmful.

So let’s tackle that question first, Pampers defend their nappies and say they are not harmful, personally I have never had an issue with them or any other nappy brand actually. Pampers do say if there is a problem with the nappies, if you believe they are caused your child harm then ring them the careline number is on the packet , it’s quite small so here it is for you 0800 3283281 and they will be happy to help you.

OK so on with the trip, We were fortunate to be in the group that stayed the night before in Frankfurt so no super early start for us. We meet at Heathrow airport, I was as usual very early to I went and found a bar *ahem* and waited for the ladies to arrive. The lovely Rachel from Fleishman-Hillard was a little late as she left her passport at the office and only remembered when she half way there (sorry for Rachel). We checked in on time and went through to meet Amy from Procter and Gamble; we had time for a quick drink before we caught our flight. The flight was a little bit bumpy but thankfully it was a short one.

The hotel was stunning, we checked in had a quick change and all went for dinner, were we meet up with Gillian also from Procter and Gamble. The meal was lovely if a little long and the service a little slow. It wasn’t all business we got to chat about our children, food and wine. I went up at midnight and was truly shattered.

Next morning we had breakfast then we were off to the Procter and Gamble development centre, where we meet the lovely Frank who was to be out tour guide for the day.  Frank had joined Procter and Gamble 15 years ago not long after the birth of his first child, so he was the perfect man to work on nappies.

It was a whirlwind morning of the history of Pampers, tour around the site, presentations, manufacturing and lunch. I could tell you everything but I fear I would lose you half way through so I thought I’d share with you the main things I learnt.

• 1,300 babies are members of the P&G panel and are watched over time during fit and leakage studies in the ‘Playground Lab’ .Every week 1200 mothers collect test diapers for at-home tests and are interviewed about the tests .2.5 million nappies are distributed for test purposes from this centre

• The new Dry Max technology has been 10 years in the making
• The new nappy is Pampers’ driest ever with 20% less bulk, the new nappy is 14% lighter so Pampers mums are taking another small step to reducing their impact on the environment

• Pampers Active Fit nappy with Dry Max technology has received the Seal of Approval from Allergy UK
• Absorbent Gelling Material (AGM) is non-irritating, safe for skin and even safe if ingested.  For example, the gel is also an ingredient that is part of the shell (capsule) that encloses many medicines, the absorbing area used in female sanitary products as well as the pad inside fresh meat containers which absorb the juices.
• Dry Max technology is made by a new manufacturing process which allows the AGM to be placed exactly where it needs to go, without the need for additional material.  The material is also permeable, which means that when it absorbs fluid and swells, it is less likely to “gel-block” - a process which happens when AGM particles swell so closely together that fluid can no longer pass through to reach unutilised particles

• According to lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies, published by the Environment Agency which you can find here -  

The average 2006 disposable nappy would result in a global warming impact of approximately 550kg of carbon dioxide equivalents used over the two and a half years a child is typically in nappies. The global warming impact from disposable nappies use has decreased since the previous study due to manufacturing changes and a 13.5 percent reduction in the weight of nappies. 

For reusable nappies, the baseline scenario based on average washer and drier use produced a global warming impact of approximately 570kg of carbon dioxide Equivalents. However, the study showed that the impacts for reusable nappies are highly dependent on the way they are laundered.

This means I can stop worrying I’m going to hell for using disposable nappies.

• Each nappy has 5 strips on lotion on it, I never ever knew that but now when I look at the nappies I can see it! This means you don’t need to add any cream to your babies bum.

If you want any more info on the new Dry Max nappies then there are some videos on the Pampers Village Site and while you there if you haven’t done already join them to get money off vouchers.

To be honest I could go on and on about facts and figures but that won’t make you buy them, I personally like the nappies and will buy them in the future. I am not brand loyal (sorry Pampers) I tend to buy what’s on offer but I Pampers nappies are on my “I will buy list”.

I had a great trip even if it was a very quick one and found it really interesting, I have to admit it the nerd inside me that finds factories and product development fascinating having worked both in retail and manufacturing so the trip was a real treat for me.

So thank you very much for the trip

NM X