This 18-year-old girl from Coimbatore is manufacturing eco-friendly and reusable sanitary napkins
Ishana is making reusable and chemical-free cotton napkins which takes only six days to decompose unlike the conventional ones, which takes many years.
Most sanitary napkins available in the market today are infused with a lot of chemicals and are made using plastic, which can affect our health after prolonged use. Apart from this, after every use, they need to be trashed as there is no recycling mechanism in place, and they end up choking landfills.
While there have been efforts to create awareness among women about the harmful effects of sanitary napkins, this 18-year-old girl from Coimbatore is showing the way to junk the pad.
Ishana (Image: The Covia Post)
The urge to make this eco-friendly alternative emerged after Ishana opted for a course in fashion designing after completing Class 12. She went on to set-up her boutique where she got the idea to manufacture cloth sanitary napkins for her personal use.
Called Ana Cloth Pads, Ishana started making these pads as she started facing health problems using the sanitary pads available in the market. She initially introduced the pads to her friends who faced similar issues. After receiving positive responses from them, she started making the pads available to more people.
Manufacturing under her indigenous brand called Ana Cloth Pads, Ishana said,
“I am doing this for the people of India. Every girl is facing problems due to regular sanitary napkins, which are made of plastic. These cause health issues like rashes,” reports The Logical Indian.
(Image: The News Minute)
The reusable cotton napkins, which are priced at Rs 120, takes only six days to decompose unlike the conventional ones, which takes years. Also, one can use it for at least 12 times.
According to Ishana, the pads can be soaked in turmeric powder post wash and has to be dried in sunlight. “Before using them the next month, I recommend keeping a wet cloth over the pads and ironing it at least two days before use for added comfort,” she said.
Apart from concentrating on women’s health, Ishana’s venture is also empowering the women in her neighbourhood. The pads are manufactured at Ishana’s small workshop, which has around 25 women working with her. Ishana sends cut pieces to these women, who have tailoring machines at home, and then stitch the pads in the comfort of their home.
Image: The Logical Indian
In terms of profit, Ishana makes around Rs 5,000 a month through her eco-friendly sanitary napkins, reports News 18.
She further said, “Now, I want to educate more and more people on how to make sanitary pads with a cotton cloth”, reports ANI.
Ishana is also being approached by traders from Salem, Hyderabad, and Kerala for the distribution of pad in their areas. Speaking about her plans, Ishana said,
“In future, I would like to make pads for the bed-ridden and make children’s diapers as well”.
(Edited by Megha Reddy)
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