Mater moves in to fill Australian made nappy void

Those early childhood education and care (ECEC) services who are conducting a deeper dive into the ethics of consumerism, considering where the goods they purchased are made, by whom, and what the process of manufacture is, may be interested to learn that there is only one disposable nappy maker in Australia to bear the Australian Made logo – Mater. 

In 1986, the Australian Government commissioned the introduction of the Australian Made logo, a registered certification trademark which can only be used on products that are registered with the not-for-profit Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL), and which meet the criteria set out in the Australian Consumer Law. 

The Mater Baby Products range is the first product range to be developed by a hospital, co- created by midwives and women using the Mater Mothers’ Hospital network. Speaking with news publication The Herald Sun, a spokesperson for the Mater Group said sales of the nappy range are growing by up to 20 per cent a year, speculating that this is partly as a result of the brand being the only nappy able to boast of its Australian Made nature. 

Manufacture of the popular Huggies nappy was moved offshore in 2019, with Mater brand director Tania Alves saying interest in Mater nappies had “risen substantially” since that time, and that she would anticipate another year of 20 per cent growth in 2020. 

“We have definitely had more interest now because we have the Australian made certification — we are the only nappy product on shelves that has that” she added. 

Whilst both Aldi and Coles noted that some nappy products are produced locally, they are not listed as part of the Australian Made campaign, which guarantees the product “has undergone its last substantial transformation” on our shores.

Ms Alves told The Herald Sun that Mater, a healthcare company based in Brisbane, was committed to producing its products locally, with its nappy range made in Sydney. Ironically, the manufacturing process of the nappies has opened up what Ms Alves termed “new opportunities” with shoppers from China. 

“Being made in Australia has opened up the door, not just nationally but internationally as well. We are working through the process of securing a master distributor for China at the moment” she said. 

To read the original coverage of this story, please see here.