Those of a certain age will remember washing lines filled with rows of cloth nappies flapping in the breeze. Drying them in bad weather was a chore, and when the disposable nappy went mainstream in the 1970s, it seemed like the answer to every parent’s prayer.
Fast forward 50 years, and the picture is not so rosy. The environmental impact of single-use nappies is huge; in Ireland alone more than one million plastic nappies are disposed of every day.
This volume of non-stop consumption really bothered mum of two Kate Doyle, who set up a business selling reusable products in 2022.
However, distribution didn’t go far enough for Doyle, who felt that just being a distributor limited the impact she could have in the sustainability space. Her solution was to move up the supply chain and begin producing her own products. So, in 2025, she turned her attention to developing a reusable nappy. The result is the EcoKinly nappy, which will go on sale direct to customers next month with retail listings to follow.
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“There is a real lack of consumer choice when it comes to essential hygiene products like nappies and wipes,” Doyle says. “EcoKinly is a cost-saving fabric alternative to the products currently dominating the baby aisle, and our nappy is as easy and convenient to use as its disposable equivalent.
“Currently, there’s a big gap between disposable nappies, which are available everywhere, and reusables, which are mainly sold online,” Doyle adds. “EcoKinly is bridging this gap by making reusables visible and mainstream. Our nappies will sit on the shelf beside existing disposable brands, and we will meet the consumer where they are – with a viable alternative. We want to normalise the choice of reusables and change the world one bum at a time.”
EcoKinly nappies have a one-piece (patent pending) design with a waterproof outer covering and a Velcro fastening to mirror how a disposable nappy works as closely as possible. The absorbency capacity is high, comprising eight layers of fabric, but the nappy is stitched in such a way that air can flow between the layers to speed up the drying process. EcoKinly products are sized in a similar way to disposable nappies and come with a pocket at the back which can be used to boost absorbency if required.
The nappies are made in China and will retail at around €19.99 each. However, recognising that many families would find it hard to go completely reusable in one go, Doyle has come up with a starter kit to encourage parents to commit to reusables at least one day a week. The starter kit of five nappies, plus wipes and a wet bag, costs €105. The EcoKinly line-up comprises 14 products, including night-time pull-ups, training pants and swimming nappies.
[ Reusable cloth nappies vs disposables: would you put €500 a year in the bin?Opens in new window ]
“We wanted to pitch the pricing at an affordable level, and this meant making choices – for example, not using organic cotton because it would push the price up too high,” Doyle says.
“The potential addressable market for EcoKinly are parents of the 150,000 children in the State aged under two and a half and the 50,000 new babies born here every year.”
Doyle originally studied law and started her career in the hospitality industry before joining AIG as an underwriter for financial lines.
She left AIG to work with a fintech start-up and, in 2018, joined forces with her husband, Larry, to set up an online health and fitness business. She established the Nappy Market online shop in 2022 and EcoKinly grew out of that.
“Reusables offer a circular-economy alternative, and one nappy can be used by up to four children. They have a 25 per cent lower carbon footprint per child, even after accounting for washing/energy consumption, and that multiples significantly if the same nappy is used on a sibling or a third child,” Doyle says.
“Buying nappies and wipes for one child from birth to potty can cost approximately €1,500, and this is higher if the parents are buying branded nappies. One set of reusable nappies costs approximately €500 and can be reused on multiple children,” adds Doyle, who acknowledges that some level of consumer education may be needed for those who have only ever known disposable products.
“We are a challenger brand, and it requires courage and confidence in the product to invest and persist,” says Doyle, who estimates self-funded investment in EcoKinly to date at around €50,000 alongside priming grant support from Wexford Local Enterprise Office. “It will also be a challenge to convince mainstream retailers that even though we are a small brand, we have the capacity to deliver.”
Doyle also has plans to expand the company’s reach into the sanitary-products market. “Period poverty is well documented, and girls in poorer nations miss 25 per cent of the school year due to lack of access to period products. Reusables can combat the problem. This is another market channel for us with a line-up of products which we will likely sell through pharmacies,” says Doyle, who adds that for every three products sold, the company will donate to a period poverty charity.
EcoKinly is close to agreeing terms with a number of retailers and will start selling on the Irish market before expanding into the Continent. The company faces some competition from existing players, but Doyle says none are ready to sit alongside mainstream products.
With two toddlers under four and a business to run, life is a balancing act for Doyle, but she’s driven by the desire to make a difference. “Our mission is to challenge existing social norms, reduce waste, empower parents and create sustainable choices for every stage of family life,” she says.
