By Matthew Legg Business editor

Published at 05:39, Friday, 19 September 2008

SOMETIMES a business idea seems so timely and necessary, you just can’t see it failing.

Eco-friendly: Caroline Scott with some of the products on sale at Fluffy Bums in Carlisle. She says modern washable nappies are making a comeback

That’s exactly how Caroline Scott felt when she came up with Fluffy Bums, a shop selling washable nappies and chemical-free baby products.

Not only would parents be saving pounds previously wasted on disposable nappies, they would also be helping save the planet.

And with our twin obsessions of credit crunch and carbon footprints, its time had definitely come.

Caroline said: “I was talking to everyone and asking them to be honest and tell me what the positives and negatives of launching this business are.

“Every negative anyone came up with I could answer. “There is no such thing as a business that can’t fail, but I am convinced this can be a success.”

And she is so certain that she left a retail career at Ralph Lauren in Gretna, to take a shop in Annetwell Street, Carlisle.

“Having my own shop is something I’ve always wanted. I was sitting looking at Darcie, my youngest, last Christmas, thinking ‘do I really want to go back to working 30-plus hours a week?’

“I really loved my job, but I went back for a week in February and I just couldn’t do it.

“My back was still sore from having her and I thought ‘Why don’t I just sell nappies?’”

First she took advice from her businessman father Martin, then found suitable premises in the centre, then scratched around for funding, before talking to suppliers.

Fluffy Bums, next to BBC Radio Cumbria, opens on September 27 and will stock washable nappies by Onelife, Tots’ Bots, Bambinomio and Bumgenius, as well as baby shoes, hip seats and Clever Mama bath towels.

All products are free of carcinogenic chemicals.

Caroline admits that, taking her inspiration from daughters Ellie, six, and Darcie, 17 months, a child-centric business was the only one she could feel sufficiently passionate about to devote her life to.

“I wanted to do something to do with kids,” she says.

“I’m very passionate about doing the right and helping others do the right thing.

“I have used washable nappies with Darcie right from the start and everyone’s reaction has been wanting to know where I got them and how much they cost.

“The financial benefit is huge. You can save more than £1,000 over the course of a child’s life using washables.

“And on the environmental side, there is just no argument against using them. When you find out what goes into a nappy, it’s scary.

“One cup of crude oil goes into every nappy. They also contain chlorine to make them nice and white and pretty looking. In the UK, eight million nappies are thrown away every day and each takes between 200 and 500 years to degrade.

“Four and a half trees are cut down to keep one baby in nappies for 30 months.

“Every baby is going to use between 4,500 and 5,000 nappies from birth to potty.

“The carbon footprint of a baby in disposables is 62 kilos of CO2 more than a baby in washables.

“In terms of money and the environment, disposables are going to be so expensive they just aren’t going to work.”

But washables have suffered from an image crisis, with memories of steaming buckets and safety pins.

“There are no safety pins and you don’t have to soak them.” she counters.

“Modern washing machines can more than handle a week of nappies and you can wash them at 40 degrees.

“A waterproof cover goes over the top and they fit snugly under clothes. One lasts all night and there are no rashes or leakage.”

Caroline hopes eventually to preside over an empire of Fluffy Bums, with branches across the country.

And with her passion and energy you wouldn’t bet against it happening.

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk