Bend mom develops green baby wipes

Published: January 21. 2009 4:00AM PST

When Bend resident Linda Naerheim became a new mom two years ago, she was unhappy to see all the chemicals added to baby products, notably baby wipes.

With that in mind, and as a response to a growing trend in parents looking for environmentally friendly baby products, she developed natural baby wipes called Elements Naturals.

Elements Naturals will launch locally in February at Whole Foods Market and online at Diapers.com, among others, she said. They retail for $5.95 for 80 wipes.

Naerheim says her wipes are made of corn-based fiber, free of chemical additives, synthetic materials and chemical surface treatments. That means they require fewer fossil fuels to manufacture than the traditional oil-based materials. And because the wipes are corn-based, they are compostable.

“Most baby wipes are cradle-to-grave: you use them and then they sit in the landfills and don’t biodegrade,” Naerheim said. “Ours break down, even if they make it to the landfill, into a soil nutrient.”

The wipe solution is all plant-derived, fragrance-free and includes certified-organic aloe vera, she said. Finally, the packaging is recyclable and uses less plastic than the traditional tubs.

To further her cause, Naerheim is donating 1 percent of Elements Naturals’ proceeds to an organization that encourages environmentally conscious business practices.