DYPER is revolutionizing the disposable diaper industry with environmental ingenuity.

By Real Leaders

Diapers are the third-leading contributor to U.S. landfills by mass, taking up to 500 years to break down. The average child uses around 3,700 disposable diapers, and more than 27 billion of them end up in U.S. landfills each year.

A Sustainable Solution for Happy Bottoms and a Healthy Planet

That’s where DYPER founder and CEO Sergio Radovcic saw an opportunity to help reduce the negative impact of these baby basics on the planet. The Certified B Corp has been working since 2018 toward its goal of making a fully plant-based diaper that reduces fossil-fuel use and avoids landfills. Along the way, the company has grown its employee base over sixfold from 2019–22. 

Radovcic, a father of three, started DYPER as an alternative to mainstream options made with chemicals and plastic. The vast majority of disposable diapers are constructed with two water bottles worth of plastic and sold in single packs with new plastic packaging. 

“While there are no silver bullets to solving the plastic diaper dilemma, we feel it is our obligation to continuously look for solutions,” Radovcic says. 

DYPER makes diapers and wipes with plant-based materials and avoids harmful chemicals and irritants such as chlorine, latex, alcohol, perfumes, PVC, lotions, TBT, and phthalates. Wood pulp from responsibly managed bamboo and eucalyptus forests is converted using closed-loop systems in accordance with OEKO-TEX STeP standards, and DYPER’s supply chain is independently audited. 

Plants are renewable and more sustainable than using conventional plastic, which is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels. The company’s diapers were rated a Certified USDA BioPreferred 55% Product and degraded more than 70% in 180 days when tested. Plus, they come in eco-friendly packaging. The products have already made their way to major distributors, including Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

“Parents shouldn’t have to choose between their baby’s well-being and the environment,” Radovcic says. “By using materials such as paper, natural wax, and clay in our packaging and plant-based materials in our diapers, we hope to set an industrywide example that we can all reduce our reliance on plastics as a society.”

Breaking Free from Plastic: Embracing Plant-Based Power

A challenge remains, as 100% plant-based superabsorbent polymers, elastics, glues, and fastening systems are currently not available at scale or at the performance needed for daily use. Thus, the evolution of DYPER continues. 

In addition to its main diaper packs, DYPER also makes charcoal-enhanced diapers, cloth diapers, and training pants. It introduced its first Impact Box in 2023, benefitting Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit that supports service members, veterans, and families. 

Thinking even bigger than diapers and wipes, DYPER has created additional programs centered around holistic care for babies and the planet:

• REDYPER: An opt-in program offers curbside pickup of soiled products in 22+ cities and growing, or they can ship them back for responsible disposal. To date, over 11.5 million pounds of dirty diapers have been diverted from landfills and converted into topsoil. Introduced in 2023 to select markets, Byochar technology also helps reduce landfill waste by converting soiled diapers and wipes into usable biochar at scale, ultimately transforming an environmental hazard into a carbon-neutral footprint without the use of offsets. Biochar is a carbon-rich product created through a heating process called pyrolysis, which allows for waste to be transformed into a reusable commodity that can improve soil, assist in air and water purification, and be an additive to paints and inks for improved pigment.  

• DYPER Health: At-home testing provides science-based insights, including a Baby Gut Health Kit, Children’s Advanced DNA Kit, Breast Milk Test Kit, and Adult Vaginal Microbiome Test Kit, with other tests in the works.

• DYPER Card: A credit card offers qualified customers the ability to earn free diapers or a cash back investment into an EarlyBird savings account. When children are no longer in diapers, EarlyBird will allow a percentage of spending to be transferred into a minor custodial account for tax-optimized growth.

“We strive to be at the forefront of innovation and cater to the needs of modern parents,” Radovcic says.