Disposable diapers might be convenient, but they heavily cost the nature. Apart from taking over a hundred year to decompose, they also contain some toxic elements like dioxin, sodium polyacrylate and more that contaminate the land.
Amrita Vaswani, Founder, Bdiapers presents solution to this compounding problem.
What is your vision behind your startup? Tell us how the idea came about.
Bdiapers are India’s only cloth diapers that work with both reusable and disposable inserts. Bdiapers was designed to solve the two main problems mothers faced with diapers, those of rashes and leaks. Bdiaper Hybrids bring you the convenience of disposables with the health of cloth in a diaper that is unique, affordable, eco-friendly, and healthy. The product was designed by me over several years of trial and error and of diapering my own two babies. I was fed up of the chemicals in disposables and organic diapers were very expensive. Cloth diapers were time consuming and complicated and I wanted to find an ecofriendly option for diapering.
Bdiapers is a true labor of love and my goal for designing this product is to bring the convenience of disposables to mothers like myself who are eco-conscious and frugal.
Bdiapers hybrids come in a patented two-part pouch system that separates the “cloth” from the “diaper”. This helps reduce washing and encourages reuse. The covers are trendy and come with matching T shirts while the waterproof pouches that hold the disposable inserts are coated and do not ‘crack’ like ordinary plastic. The disposable inserts are chemical, bleach & dye free and hypoallergenic. As these are sized diapers (S-XL) they give a better fit than the regular MCDs hence preventing leaks and blow outs.
With less washing, and the option for using any insert – these are the like a great option for eco-friendly, healthy diapering.
What services/products/solutions do you offer?
Our range includes trendy cloth diaper covers with disposable and washable inserts. Our inserts are ecofriendly, chemical, chlorine, fragrance, and dye free. Apart from diapers we also have several unique accessories for green mommies such as our Newborn Organic Muslin Nappies, Organic Diaper Rash Balm, Diaper Wash Spray, and our unique SafetyB Silicone Diaper Fasteners.
What were the challenges you came across during the inception of your startup and in COVID 19?
We had several supply chain issues in COVID which included factories closing down and us losing our trusted tailors. We also had issues with financing and supply chain of our raw materials for accessories. A lot of our PR initiatives also got canceled as publications started to look for paid advertisements and we did not have the deep pockets to pay for press.
As the founder, what is your opinion on the current landscape of startup culture in India?
I have been very fortunate with the startup landscape and have had several people help me out with my story. As this is a mom-based business, we have been fortunate to get help from reviews by other mothers with small babies. We have had some issues with compliance and contracts for delivery – and this is an area where I feel we can improve. There should be more incentives from the government and established startups to encourage small businesses.
According to you, how important is it to be updated with technology as per your industry sector? And How do you strategise on scaling your company in the future?
Technology is the key to communicating with our customers. It is our only link to directly engaging customers for feedback and product improvements and hence we all need to be updated with the latest tools and software to reach out to our audiences.
