Low and middle income countries lack affordable sanitary products that help women maintain proper menstrual hygiene, leading to health complications like skin rashes, itching, foul odour and cervical cancer among others.
Plastic-based sanitary pads and tampons contain toxic chemicals which have been linked with serious health conditions like endometriosis, breast cancer and reproductive organ damage as well as environmental concerns such as clogging landfills.
Eco-friendly
Use of disposable sanitary pads contributes significantly to our planet’s growing waste problem. These plastic-based sanitary napkins take 500-800 years to decompose, contributing to pollution. Furthermore, these toxic napkins contain harmful substances like phthalates, VOCs, dioxins and furans – which may pose threats to human health.
Biodegradable sanitary pads, however, are made from natural fibres that are both healthy for our bodies and the environment. Furthermore, they’re free from harsh chemicals and make wearing these more comfortable than synthetic options.
As another eco-friendly option, many eco-friendly pads avoid using superabsorbent polymers and wood pulp that is the main component of conventional sanitary napkins. Instead, agricultural fibers like banana tree fibre or water hyacinth fibre are used instead – for instance Niine’s organic cotton and bamboo pulp sanitary pads have been CIPET-certified as completely chemical free and can even be disposed of underground without special conditions being met.
Comfortable
Biodegradable pads should be comfortable and won’t budge while you move around, as well as effective at preventing leaks. Furthermore, these biodegradable pads are free from fragrances and dyes – perfect for your intimate area! Made of organic cotton, jute fiber, bamboo fiber or biodegradable corn starch wrappers; making them hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin types.
Banana fiber-based pads offer women an environmentally-friendly alternative for managing menstrual health, and reduce plastic pollution at the same time. However, to increase adoption rates of these pads effectively and affordably.
To address these challenges, we designed and conducted field trials of reusable banana fiber-based pads (BFP). These hypoallergenic pads utilize bamboo fibre wadding that absorbs and wicks away water 3-4 times faster than traditional SAP-based sanitary napkins while simultaneously reducing odour while being easier to use than disposable pads.
Convenient
As opposed to regular pads, which can take 500 years or longer to decompose, biodegradable ones begin breaking down from year one of use and come equipped with separate biodegradable bags for safe disposal.
Women and girls living in low-income countries cannot access affordable and safe sanitary pads due to availability, pricing and transportation constraints. To address this problem, a Kenyan woman-led enterprise has created an eco-friendly low-cost biodegradable pad made of agricultural waste waste for this purpose.
This pad consists of a top sheet made of 100% organic cotton, an FSC certified bamboo pulp core for tremendous absorbency, a leakage barrier made from plant-based compostable film to prevent leakage, and a plant-based compostable film wrapper/leakage barrier with plant-based compostable film leakage protection and wrapper that serves as leakage barrier/wrapper – all produced free from plastic, toxin and toxin-containing wrappers or film. Not only is this 100% plastic-free but toxin-free product 4 times more absorbency than regular pads – decomposes within 180 days which means you can place this pad alongside other brown compost waste such as grass/straw/cardboard; no light/heat required either!
Affordable
If you want a sustainable approach to menstruation, using reusable period products like menstrual cups and cloth pads are ideal. If single-use items must be used instead, make sure they’re biodegradable or compostable so your menstrual waste doesn’t contribute further to environmental concerns.
Many companies market their disposable pads as eco-friendly, yet they may contain chemicals and toxic materials such as plastic liners or superabsorbent polymers that could still contain hazardous elements.
Jeff Bates of the University of Utah Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor has led a team to develop an environmentally friendly plant-based pad called SHERO Pad to address this problem. Delignification technology separates cellulose microfibrils from their bond with lignin for delignification to occur – leaving behind 100% biodegradable product with greater comfort than existing feminine hygiene options and 100% biodegradability – the team plans on having these pads on store shelves within one year in Guatemala and America.
