Woosh, Borouge International, and BlueAlp demonstrate circular pathway for diaper plastics

A value chain approach to a complex waste stream

The achievement builds on Woosh’s closed-loop ecosystem for diapers. At its core is the Woosh give-back diaper, which is optimized for recycling. Woosh supplies these diapers to childcare facilities and households and collects them again after use, creating a separate, traceable stream of used diapers for recycling.

This dedicated waste stream forms the basis for further processing. Borouge International and BlueAlp worked with Woosh engineers to define the quality requirements the recovered plastic needed to meet to be used as input for BlueAlp’s chemical recycling technology. 

Woosh then optimized their proprietary mechanical separation process to produce plastic fractions that meet these requirements.

The first industrial scale recycling runs were carried out at BlueAlp’s plant in Oostende, Belgium. The recovered plastic fractions were processed using BlueAlp’s pyrolysis technology, which converts them into a liquid hydrocarbon known as pyrolysis oil. This pyrolysis oil is ISCC PLUS-certified and meets the required quality specifications for further processing into new polymers, including those suitable for new diaper production.

“Chemically recycling the plastic from used diapers is anything but straightforward. It requires careful pre-processing to meet the specifications of the pyrolysis process,” says Peter Voortmans, Borealis Vice President Marketing Consumer Products. “Together with Woosh and BlueAlp, we’ve been able to solve this challenge, showing what’s possible when teams work closely together with a shared goal.”

Building a new model for circularity in the hygiene sector

Woosh is already scaling its model. The company currently supplies and collects diapers across Belgium, with over 30,000 children using the Woosh give-back diaper system each day. Its diaper recycling plant, launched in 2025, processes thousands of metric tons of used diapers per year. In the near future, its operations are set to expand into France and the Netherlands, increasing the volume of recovered plastic available for recycling.

“We have spent years building the collection network and the technology to make this possible,” says Jeff Stubbe, CEO Woosh. “To see the plastic we recover from used diapers validated as feedstock for new polymer production, and potentially for new diapers in the future, is exactly what we set out to achieve. This is what closing the loop actually looks like.”

“This is a fundamental example of what we want to achieve at scale with BlueAlp” says Valentijn de Neve, CEO, BlueAlp. “It’s fantastic to see that, together, we can address difficult-to-recycle waste streams that cannot be effectively managed through mechanical recycling, enabling them to be chemically recycled and returned to demanding applications such as diapers in the healthcare and hygiene sector.”

The broader significance is clear. Across Europe, large volumes of absorbent hygiene products still follow a linear path to incineration or landfill. This collaboration is a meaningful proof of concept for circularity in the sector, demonstrating that even the most challenging waste streams can be brought back into use when the entire system is carefully designed to work together.

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Media Contacts:

Borouge International Media Desk
Tel: +43 1 22 400 899 (Vienna, Austria)
E-Mail: media@borougeinternational.com

Woosh 
E-Mail: jeff@woosh.care

BlueAlp 
Urvashi Athavale 
E-Mail: Urvashi.athavale@bluealp.nl 
Tel: +31 (0)85 782 3044

 This media release is also available in German and Dutch language.