Giving Thanks: With a little help from our friends
You know how it goes: “It’s a small world after all.”
Except sometimes the world can seem especially big, particularly when you’re a tiny diaper company tucked away in the left coast of the United States. And though gDiapers as a company is still quite small (globally, we’re 20 people!) our goal — ridding the world of conventional disposables — is massive. But thanks to some incredible folks, it’s not insurmountable.
gDiapers wouldn’t be gDiapers without the remarkable Disposable Insert. It’s a technological wonder that’s achieved Cradle to Cradle Silver Certification and has been happily flushed and composted (wet ones only) in millions of homes now. PBE is a family-owned and operated manufacturing plant in Ohio where our Disposable Inserts are made. Chuck & Caroll have run PBE for two generations, and since we first partnered with them in 2005, they’ve converted their green-leaning manufacturing plant to green-as-all-get-out with zero-waste initiatives, a new community co-op garden, wind and solar energy, and so much more. They not only keep up with the increasing demand of our disposable inserts, they continually inspire us to examine how we do business and how to make our own footprint tread more lightly. Chuck, Caroll and the PBE team, this high five’s for you.
In 2006, when gDiapers was just a wee new company, we met a phenomenal British entrepreneur named Margaret Peet. A healthy handshake was quickly dropped for a hug, and we became BFFs. Through Margaret’s support, her belief in all things g, and her immense network, we were able to bring gDiapers, ahem, gNappies to Europe just a few years later. Dear Margaret, this hug’s for you.
Though our Disposable Inserts are made in the USA, most textiles are manufactured overseas, which can be a tricky process for finding a factory that could meet g’s standards for treating the environment and people with respect. In 2007, we partnered with Betty Lam from Etoile Volant for the manufacture of our gPants. Through her, our gPants are responsibly made in what we think is the best factory possible. Thank you, Betty. This cheers is for you!
Even when gDiapers were only distributed in the USA and Canada, we’d occasionally hear from global customers who had committed to using gDiapers, despite the difficulty of acquiring them internationally. Enter Mike Chung, an importer and dad from Seoul, South Korea. He wanted to buy gDiapers not only for his two little ones, but for his friends as well! And even though we said “We’re not quite ready for Korea …” his persistence paid off, and parents in Korea no longer have to make back alley deals to secure gDiapers. Mike, we are forever grateful.
It’s a big big world, isn’t it? And yet, through shared values and good people committed to making this world a better place one diaper change at a time, it’s a small world after all.
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