Five companies making sustainable menstrual products
Sanitary pads are increasingly contributing to India’s land pollution problems. Here are some eco-friendly and reusable alternatives to combat this.
Nearly 12.3 billion or 113,000 tonnes of used sanitary pads are dumped in landfills in India every year, revealed a study titled 'Menstrual Products and their Disposal’. This only contributes to India’s growing land pollution problem.
Not only are sanitary napkins environmentally unsustainable, but there are also concerns about the lack of proper regulation around the safety of such hygiene products and proper awareness of its health implications.
At such a juncture, it comes as no surprise that there has been an uptick in the interest in more sustainable options such as menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads.
Here are five companies that are revolutionising the menstrual hygiene space with their products.
SoupStone
Co-founders Malini Parmar and Smita Kulkarni were both actively involved in waste reduction efforts before making the pivot from ‘eco-warriors to eco entrepreneurs’ and building .
The company not only has products like silicone menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads but also offers menstrual health awareness-building sessions and livelihood programmes for women.
Boondh
Founded in 2016, was started by founder Bharti Kannan who recognised that there was a gap in menstruation-related interventions, activism and advocacy in India. Today, Boondh’s menstrual cups and cloth pads are available on their website and via sellers like Amazon.
Purchases from the company also contribute towards menstrual literacy and reusable products for menstruators in underprivileged communities. They also have an option to sponsor a cup for someone who can not afford it with the ‘two-gether’ programme.
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Sirona
In 2014 when Deep Bajaj went on a road trip with his friends, he understood that the lack of clean toilets was a major issue for women, leading him to build , a urination funnel for women.
Identifying other unaddressed hygiene problems faced by women led to the founding of , which has a line of period care and intimate care products. Apart from menstrual cups and biodegradable tampons, the company also offers menstrual cup sterilisers and pain relief patches among other innovative products.
Sanfe
Founded by IIT-Delhi graduates Archit Aggarwal and Harry Sehrawat, is a New-Delhi based lifestyle and hygiene brand. Its innovative product line includes menstrual cups, bamboo sanitary pads in two size variants, as well as cramp relief roll-ons.
At present, Sanfe products are available at 1,500 outlets across India and ecommerce platforms such as , , and .
Safecup
What makes stand out from the crowd is their period panty, which is still a concept that people are learning to love in India. Period panties can be used with or without additional support from cups or pads, making them a sustainable option during menstruation.
The company was founded in 2019 by Akarsh Tekriwal, a third-generation entrepreneur.
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Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta