About Production

I spent along time considering the different production options available when I was launching Bells Bumz.

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I chose to out source to China as being a single mother who was unable to afford to cloth my son was a horrible feeling. Financially I felt that £20+ per nappy was too much for the market to become mainstream. 

 

I can say I have tried to ensure that I have looked at every aspect of my business to accomplish safe, high quality and affordable products while maintaining decent manufacturing conditions. 

 

I provide work for many Chinese families as at the end of the day we all wish to provide for our families regardless of where we are born and all deserve the same. 

 

My product and public liability insurance covers myself as a manufacturer and also covers full products. A lot of lower cost insurance companies will cover you with “rights to recourse” or not cover you as if you were the manufacturer. This means that’s you have to claim direct from the factory for the insurance company, and as a Chinese factory has no legal obligation this means you are not fully covered in my eyes. So with the level of cover I have I am confident that’s any companies that deal with myself are fully covered selling my products where as if I didn’t have this level then they would also not be fully covered selling my products. 

 

I am a great believer that everyone should be able to afford to cloth and this does not mean lowering the quality or manufacturing working conditions. Why shouldn’t you be able to provide the best without paying through the roof? I believe everyone should have the same opportunities & by making my brand affordable while retaining the same quality of higher cost nappies would help accomplish making cloth mainstream.

 

What this does mean is lower profit margins. Now my pricing means I retain decent products and I do make a small profit.  With all the hard work I do expect to earn a living as being able to spend more time with Zachary is my ultimate goal. However, it was important to me that this doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice my beliefs by over charging for products that should be more widely affordable for everyone who wishes to use. I feel very strongly that I want everyone to use cloth should they wish. 

 

It’s very sad but people do believe an inflated price tag means higher quality where this is not always the case they just make more profit. 

 

Yes I could of gone down the route of microfibre mix and made lower cost nappies. I chose to offer products I believe to be decent quality, using natural fibres, without the risk of compression leaks and ensuring that the products I make work.  So as not to put people off who are just starting out and do not know the levels of absorbency in materials. As a such you will find NO microfibre in any of my products. In exchange to compensate for flooders you will find cotton. 

 

My PUL is high quality and is manufactured using heat and pressure (also kknown as TPU), some use chemicals to make and as per my safety checks shows these are not made using any nasty chemicals and only made using heat. 

 

I have had tours of my factory. I have a fantastic relationship with my contact and laugh and joke about our families. 

 

I do know they have time off for their own festivities and all production lines are halted during these times. I wouldn’t have this any other way as people should have fair working conditions and time to spend with their family’s on important occasions. 

 

I have also had a third party inspection report on the factory and it’s a lovely read.  I have ensured that there is no child labour, clean & safe working conditions and decent working hours. The nappies are all hand made and the factory has a lovely friendly personal feel to it. I speak with lovely David weekly and we have laughs and jokes about my own stress levels wanting everything to be perfect. The factory has also passed an Amfori Full Social Audit - Manufacturing audit, with 11 A rated sections which included worker involvement and protection, no discrimination and fair remuneration, Occupational Health and Safety, No Child Labour with special Protection for younger adult workers, No precarious employment or bonded labour, Protection of the environment and Ethical Business Behaviours, amongst others.

 

Now with regards to safety I am very particular about what I use on Zachary and as a such would not put anything on my own lovely boy without knowing that they are not only comfortable but also safe. I have had numerous testers and samples, working with the factory to tweak and improve my designs. Also, to ensure you all my nappies are completely safe as I have had extensive laboratory checks by SGS in the UK on materials used in them to ensure my products are to a UK safety standard. A lot of Chinese factories use US levels and unfortunately these are a lot lower safety standard then what we uphold within the UK. This isn’t a legal obligation this is an obligation to my own beliefs to know that I can sleep soundly with the knowledge there are no nasties in my nappies. 

 

Where possible I have my products shipped via train and truck as this will reduce the amount of emissions then using full air fair. I felt why try to manufacture an eco friendly product and then contribute to emissions by transporting via air constantly. So I choose other options where possible to keep this to a minimum. I want to try and retain this beautiful world for my son and hopefully for his very own family some day. I’m sure everyone will know that time is also money but again I am trying my very best to save on carbon print. As another way to offset our carbon footprint and help our planet and its people Bells Bumz is committed to making laundry not landfill. Bells Bumz offers to reuse, repair and recycle any unwanted/unused cloth nappies and accessories regardless of brand or condition, please contact us at bellsbumz@gmail.com to arrange donation of these, nappies from other brands that are able to be repaired and reused will be donated to good causes such as cloth nappy libraries, where nappies regardless of the brand are unable to be repaired and reused they will be recycled to raise money for cloth nappy libraries and other good causes through being turned into cloth nappy keyrings, bunting or other small products.

 

You will also find zero packaging, outside the essentials, for my nappies. This not only adds to waste but also cost so I deemed it unnecessary.

 

I just want everyone to know that yes my pricing may be lower than a lot of brands out there, BUT this doesn’t mean I have not provided a quality product or that I am complacent about the working conditions in the factory where they are made. I am not perfect by a long shot but I can happily say I have done everything in my power to provide effective and high quality products by retaining my own beliefs. Bells Bumz Eco is committed to making cloth nappies and reusable products mainstream and ensuring our nappies are a truly sustainable alternative that can be reused from birth to potty and for some, who choose to do so, for multiple babies. Therefore, Bells Bumz offers a Family warranty for all reusable nappies (including the absorbency and water resistant layers) and wraps and for all other products whilst owned by the original purchaser (proof of purchase is required) as long as they have been subject to reasonable use (See terms and conditions below) and if stored between babies they are stored correctly in a breathable container (such as a pillow case) and in a temperate environment (such as a wardrobe not an attic or outbuilding).  The Bells Bumz Eco Family warranty covers failures and breakages that means your Bells Bumz Eco cloth nappy or accessory is no longer reusable and is in effect a lifetime warranty whilst the products remain in your family. For details of how to claim under the warranty and read the full terms and conditions please click here.

 

I can also say that I do provide many opportunities within the uk especially as I choose not to sell direct, outside of the bundles and kits that I offer, to ensure that my Bells Bumz Family stockists are supported. Bells Bumz supports a number of lovely eco/nappy shops that are mostly run by work at home mums, a work at home mum who runs a UK advertising business, and  UK work at home clothing companies as well as a number of designers. I call all of these lovely companies the Bells Bumz family and have great friendships forming. 

 

I have worked hard to find a balance with Bells Bumz, to make cloth mainstream and affordable and to have something for everyone.

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If you require further information regarding working conditions, insurance or safety testing please contact us.