Disposable Diapers

Outline

Introduction: The greatest concern for parents is to keep their baby's skin dry, healthy and free from diaper rash. Many things can cause diaper rash.

Discussion: Prolonged wetness, lack of air circulation, soap, chemical and dye allergies, ammonia formed by bacteria that interacts with urine left sitting against the skin and the growth of microbes in the diaper area can all be irritating and cause rashes.

Conclusion: Some concerns about disposable diapers have been about dyes, sodium polyacrylate (the super absorbent gel), and dioxin, which is a by-product of bleaching paper.

Thesis Statement

Needless to say, the disposable diaper market is a huge, billion-dollar industry. These products are especially attractive to dual-income families and single parents who don't have the time to wash cloth diapers and don't want to spend the extra money for a diaper delivery service.

Introduction

With over 1.6 million pounds of non-degradable disposable diapers finding their way into garbage dumps across UK, many UK are turning toward a more environmentally safe diaper for their babies to avoid the continued build-up of non-degradable diapers. UK spend approximately $2.7 billion dollars per year for disposable diapers, but that number has been shrinking due to the encroachment of cloth diapers and delivery services with an estimated $400 million in sales each year (Larkin 521-634).

Discussion

Competitors in the market all boast the same type of product with absorbent pads, surrounded by a snug-fitting plastic diaper that is secured using tape connectors. There is some product differentiation in packaging, non-allergenic claims, and pad size ranging from ultra-thin to thick, but other than that there is very little difference between products. Despite the popularity of disposable diapers, however, many consumers are turning away from disposable diapers because they are not biodegradable.

Bio-Diapers will be available for babies ranging from newborns all the way up to 30 pounds and over. We will offer them in a variety of colourful designs and pad sizes. Our marketing objectives and strategies are highlighted in the following pages. We anticipate placing Bio-Diapers on the market by the summer of 2000 (Larkin 521-634).

Sales seem to be linked more to changing needs than to a true boom in population, although baby boomers are reaching their peak childbearing years. But beyond these demographic factors, the changing attitudes and spending patterns of millions of baby-boomer parents are fuelling the surge in the infant retail industry (Arthur 348-478). Market growth in revenue is shown in Figure 3502P3.

While the overall disposable diaper market is projected to continue its growth in the foreseeable future, the market is beginning to level off and enter a mature stage. The primary concern of producers in the industry is to find gaps in the market that will create future trends. Studies commissioned by Softie Baby Care, Inc., and conducted by Timmons Research have revealed that both existing parents and prospective parents have a deep concern over the impact regular disposable diapers have upon the environment.

One of the reasons disposable diapers are enjoying overwhelming popularity compared to diaper-delivery services and cloth diapers is the increase ...