Menstrual hygiene products like pads and tampons contain harmful chemicals and plastics that are detrimental to the environment. Decomposition processes for these items could take centuries in landfills or bodies of water.
Pads are narrow pieces of cloth you stick onto your underwear for additional absorbency and can come in different sizes and absorbencies to meet individual needs. Experimentation may be necessary to find something suitable.
Disposable Sanitary Pads
Pads absorb menstrual blood and offer an alternative to using toilet paper during your period. There are disposable and reusable forms, with disposable pads being more readily available than their reusable counterparts such as menstrual cups or period underwear.
Disposable pads are typically made of polyester (a form of plastic), conventional cotton that has been exposed to harmful pesticides and bleached with chlorine, or “leak-proof” polypropylene or other synthetic materials such as lexan or other plastic-based wings on some pads containing plastic-based wings; plastic tampon applicators with plastic wings on some pads as well as polyester blends found in their bodies or strings are additional sources of single-use plastic pollution.
Since pads and tampons are considered medical devices, manufacturers do not need to disclose all ingredients used in their products – leaving many women uncertain as to what exactly is entering their bodies every month. Luckily, more people are opting for reusable options with reduced environmental impacts.
Reusable Sanitary Pads
Reusable cloth menstrual pads offer more cost-effective solution for women and girls living in countries where period poverty is prevalent, offering multiple reuses over their lifespan.
Cloth pads snap conveniently into place in your underwear and come in different sizes and absorbency levels (from liners to overnight). Crafted with layers of soft organic cotton and bamboo terry cloth to absorb heavy flow, they’re more comfortable alternatives to tampons without risking toxic shock syndrome.
Reusable pads come at a one-off cost, with some charities even providing them free of charge. Once you switch, there will no longer be a need for disposable sanitary products! Plus, every pack purchased helps give more to women and girls in need; as well as refugee camps or conflict zones; our belief being that everyone deserves access to hygienic protection they require.
Disposable Tampons
Disposable tampons may be one of the most widely-used period products worldwide, yet they can still be harmful to the environment. Plastic tampons and applicators take 500-800 years to decompose in landfills while many contain ingredients linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, and environmental damage.
Tampons contain unrevealed fragrance ingredients and chemicals which may be carcinogenic or cause endocrine disruption, pesticide residues on cotton fiber used, toxic ingredients in their core plastic or plasticizer components and even plasticizers that could pose potential hazards to human health.
Just like pads, tampons are flushed down toilets where they break down into microplastics that pollute oceans, rivers, and beaches – not to mention increasing your risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which is both life-threatening and deadly.
Reusable Tampons
Women and girls who use tampons may prefer buying brands made sustainably. This reduces chemicals and plastic found in period products and waste created from packaging and applicators. If you want to go one step further in being greener, reusable menstrual cups or underwear could also help.
Tampons are considered medical devices and as such must go through a stringent review process to ensure their safety for use. This may involve checking whether they promote the growth of harmful bacteria as well as how absorbent they are.
Reusable tampons are typically constructed of cotton and often certified OEKO-TEX. Women may also create their own cloth tampons using old cotton baby socks; these reusable options can then be inserted and changed just like regular disposable tampons before being washed with other laundry in a wet bag for easy care. Reusable options can also be more environmentally-friendly than disposable options while potentially less costly than menstrual cups; however they may increase risk of TSS more often.
