Access to menstrual products is a problem which keeps cropping up in India. A survey on menstrual hygiene management revealed that as many as 71% of the respondents use sanitary napkins during their periods.
However, a sanitary pad may not be the most sustainable product to use. Most of them are made up of plastic and are non-biodegradable. Several studies have even shown that it can take around 500-800 years for a sanitary pad to decompose fully. Additionally, with India producing over 1 billion non-compostable sanitary pads every month, it can lead to a massive problem of non-biodegradable waste if left unattended.
As awareness of menstrual hygiene has increased, several new and innovative products have made their way to the market. These products cater to a variety of needs earlier left unaddressed, focusing on comfort, affordability, sustainability and inclusivity. These products have been predominantly developed for menstruators by menstruators. They could act as viable options for those who wish to switch.
Nua Sanitary Pads Have Different Sizes For Different Flow
One of the ways it does that is by acknowledging that different menstruators have different period cycles. Nua provides menstruators with different pads for their heavy, medium and light flow days, allowing women to customize the products they use accordingly.
Clovia And MyAdira Have Come Up With Period Panties
They’re exactly what they sound! In simple words, these are reusable panties that menstruators can wear to prevent leaks and staining when they are menstruating. It consists of two layers. The first cotton layer soaks up the flow, while the second one is leak proof.
An added advantage of period panties is that since they’re made of cotton, it prevents rashes, is bio-degradable and can be used multiple times.
Compostable Sanitary Pads
As talked about earlier, disposing of the sanitary napkin in an environment-friendly manner is a big problem. However, several companies have figured their way around that. Aakar has developed the country’s first fully compostable sanitary napkin. The sanitary napkin is produced with locally sourced Agri wastes and therefore solves the issue of sustainability.
Similarly, Saathi provides biodegradable pads to its customers. Instead of plastic, these sanitary pads are made from plant-based materials such as banana fibre. After their disposal, they degrade within six months, which is 1200 times faster than the conventional plastic pads.
SheCup Provides Menstrual Cups: An Eco-Friendly Alternative To Tampons
Companies such as SheCup and Vcup have also been offering sustainable sanitary products in the form of menstrual cups. A menstrual cup refers to a flexible funnel-shaped cup that is inserted in the vagina to collect period fluid.
These innovative sanitary products in the market provide a variety of options to menstruators. However, these products are only accessible to a particular socio-economic section of the society owing to price barriers. Sometimes taboos also restrict menstruators from using these innovative products.
For example, many women refrain from using menstrual cups, thinking that it can lead to a loss of virginity (you can’t lose a socio-cultural construct). Awareness about such menstrual products needs to be spread while countering stigma and taboos related to menstruation. Indians have developed most of these products, so maybe it is a step in the right direction.
The author is a part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program