Introducing the Australian Nappy Network™
In 2006, cloth nappy advocates in Australia began work on establishing a national body – the Australian Nappy Network™ (ANN) – to formalise their existing advocacy activities. The ANN is a not-for-profit organisation, the goal of which is to educate the Australian community on the health, environmental and financial benefits of using cloth nappies. The Australian Nappy Network™ became a registered Australian company in November 2007.

Our flagship national event is Reusable Nappy Week™, held in around October each year. Reusable Nappy Week™ features events right around Australia, from capital cities to regional centres. Highlights include public information sessions, nappy displays, media events and community gatherings.

ANN members also run regular community-focused events, such as classes at maternity hospitals, workshops, markets and expo stalls. Each State and Territory Coordinator of ANN has a nappy sample kit, used to provide hands-on education about modern cloth nappies.

The ANN work programme
The Australian Nappy Network™ knows that the task of changing entrenched attitudes to cloth and disposable nappies is a large one. Around 95 per cent of Australian parents use disposable nappies, at a high cost to them and to the environment. In order to redress this imbalance ANN will:

COORDINATE national cloth nappy advocacy activities
CONNECT healthcare professionals, local authorities, businesses and parents
INFORM parents through campaigns/activities with consistent impartial information
SUPPORT parents, the cloth nappy industry and researchers
CAMPAIGN to have stakeholders in the community support our aims
INNOVATE to reduce the ecological impact of nappy use at all points of supply