Best-selling author, slow fashion and pro planet advocate, award-winning podcaster and ambassador for MQ Mental Health Research, Gemma Styles, shares the advice she’s valued since becoming a mum.

Hot off the heels of The Green Awards 2025, award-winner, Pura has announced a partnership with Gemma Styles. A relatable, authentic, and trusted voice online, Gemma talks about the hidden toxins and pollutants found in many baby care products and how to navigate being a ‘greener’ parent.

You’ve clearly embraced motherhood! Did you always want to be a mum?

I always thought I did, then paused to think really carefully about it and make sure I was right! I think it’s really good that we’ve opened up more conversation in recent years that encourages women especially to consider whether they really do want to be parents or whether it’s something that’s always been expected. I certainly took my time to think about it but, yes, it’s definitely something that I wanted and am loving.

The bar is high for modern parents, especially when you’re in the public eye. How important is it to be kind to yourself as a parent, embracing imperfections rather than striving for impossible standards.

It’s so important to be kind to ourselves in general and I think it can be really hard to apply compassion to ourselves as parents because we feel a duty to our children to be the best we can be. I know I will never be a ‘perfect’ mother because there’s no such thing! We only stress so much about being good, caring parents because we ARE good, caring parents.

Becoming a parent is both awesome and daunting. If you had to tell other first-time mums anything, what would it be?

Honestly that you don’t have to know or remember everything! It feels like you have to know it all and be an expert from day one but… you’ll end up looking up anything you need to know in the moment and your instincts are important too. Take or leave the advice that feels right and useful for you and your family – everyone’s different, the same things don’t work for all babies or all mums. Do what you need to do to get through.

Three pieces of advice I’ve used a lot:

1. They’re not giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time.

2. Don’t try and ‘improve’ a toddler’s fun. If they’re having fun, let them get on with it!

3. Berry stains come straight out with hot water.

You’ve spoken openly about your own mental health. How important is it that we speak out about maternal mental health, helping other people feel supported and understood.

Nobody is judged quite like a mother. If you’re struggling then you can be seen as ungrateful for your children and if you’re too happy… you’re smug and unrelatable! Maternal mental health can therefore be tricky to speak out about, which makes it more of a challenge to ensure that people feel able to speak up when they need help. It’s crucially important that we continue to speak up to make sure that women and all parents get the support they deserve.

Sustainability

Babies can cause a lot of waste, but many parents don’t know that over 3 billion disposable nappies are thrown away in the UK each year. Was this something you even considered before becoming a parent?

Yes, I definitely thought about the amount of stuff that you need for a baby, nappies, clothes, toys, appliances even! I think it’s good that we’re more conscious about that these days and it drives more sustainable innovation.

Pura NappiCycle is already recycling nappies in Wales and it’s their mission to roll out this service to the entire UK. What is your view on nappy recycling as a solution for nappy waste?

I think Pura NappiCycle is an incredibly exciting opportunity to address waste in the UK. With over three billion nappies binned per year, if we can implement a nationwide scheme to recycle then it’s an astonishing amount of material that we can divert from landfill and make useful again. While there are other sustainable options like reusable or cloth nappies, even families who use those options will need disposables some of thetime, and they’re not practical for all parents. Making this recycling option accessible to families kerbside means that waste can be diverted without any extra barriers.

While we’re talking about nappy messes, have you ever had any nappy disasters you can share with us?

Most memorable for me have been the on-the-go ones, acting as a human changing table in the middle of the woods or getting caught out and changing in a bus shelter on the side of a country road!

How easy is it to be a green parent? Can you share any tips on how you live more sustainably as a family?

I think it’s quite hard to be a “green” parent especially at the beginning when you’re figuring out what you’re doing! There are a million things you’re told you should have, you want to be prepared and make sure your child has everything they need, then you meet them and adjust things as you go along. We’ve tried to avoid extra stuff where we don’t need it, for example we didn’t bother with a changing table as you end up on the floor pretty quickly anyway! I like products that grow with your baby through multiple stages to get the most longevity and shop second hand for a lot of clothes, maternity then baby.

Toxin-Free

Many parents don’t know that wipes and nappies can contain toxins and chemicals. Were you well-informed before becoming a parent?

I was definitely more aware of the environmental impacts than about toxins. I think sometimes we assume that baby products are automatically free of anything harmful but it all depends on your own tolerances and preferences on things you’d prefer to avoid.

What ingredients do you try to avoid in your wipes, nappies and other baby care in order to protect your child’s skin.

I try and avoid anything that seems unnecessary. Fragrances, particularly in wipes, don’t need to be there and are potentially irritating to sensitive skin.

What attracted you to working with Pura as a brand?

Aside from liking the products, I respect Pura as a company for their dedication to reducing nappy waste, not only for their customers but nationwide. The sustainable focus of all their products fits in with the choices I make for myself and now for my child.

What’s been the best thing about switching to Pura wipes and nappies?

I feel confident that they’re safe, gentle and comfortable for my baby, which is the most important thing!

The Green Award-winning Pura’s wipes and nappies are toxin-free, allergy approved and designed using less plastic and more sustainable manufacturing processes.