Sanitary pads have progressed from the raw stage of cotton layers which were bound together by a fibre sheet supported to a waterproof plastic layer at the bottom for abstaining from blood staining on the clothes. As new methods and designs emerged, ultra-thin sanitary napkins with gel cores, which absorbed the blood effectively and provided safety against unwanted leakages, became the new version of the product in the market.
Millions Of Sanitary Pads Are Disposed Of Every Month
Contemporary women enjoy the ease and comfort of using these synthetic sanitary pads, but many of them are not aware of the potential environmental and health hazards which these sanitary pads pose.
The convenience of disposal of sanitary napkins has made our lives effortless and sorted, but we are not cognizant of the dark truth of the awful imprint that they leave on the environment. 12% of 355 million menstruators of our country are able to afford regular sanitary pads and will dispose of about 433 million pads each month which is equivalent to approximately 150kg of waste.
This connotes one year’s worth of a regular sanitary pad has adverse effects on the climate with a carbon footprint being 5.3kg CO2 equivalent.
Consequently, this would create peaked mountains of waste in landfills, additionally, they take years and years to decompose. Some women dispose of them in water bodies, which is further instrumental in the contamination of rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans. Wherein, they are potentially perilous to marine life if they ingest the sanitary waste. Moreover, the noxious chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of sanitary napkins are in fact, carcinogenic and are likely to leak out into the air which increases carbon footprint.
Pads Amount For A Considerable Increase In Carbon Footprint
The core agencies of aggravated carbon footprint can be enlisted as;
Persistent Dioxin: The main culprit. There is a dark fact that is not known to everyone, regular sanitary pads are composed of a harmful chemical known as Dioxin for achieving the whiteness which signifies purity of the product. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared dioxin as a pollutant and cancerous which has the possibility of degrading the environment without any doubt which further contributes to the escalation of carbon footprint.
The threat due to chemically made sanitary napkins is an emerging threat to the environment which is equally grave. The act of burning or burying such waste can lead to soil and land pollution. This vicious cycle affects the life of all terrains
There Is A Desirable Way Out
The utilization of purely biodegradable and chemical-free sanitary napkins is the most effective solution for safeguarding our body and environment. These varieties of sanitary pads are made from sustainable and natural materials with minimal to zero chemicals, for instance, bamboo fibre, jute fibre, cornstarch, and organic cotton are the dominant components of such products. The waterproof lining that is used in these bio- sanitary pads is made of biodegradable plastic.
Heyday is a novel day brand that introduces absolutely biodegradable and organic personal hygiene products to the Indian market with the sole aim of keeping women’s menstrual journey healthy, hygienic, and safe. These bio-sanitary pads are gentle on women who use them and do not cause any allergy since they are chemical and fragrance-free. They get degraded easily once disposed of off, thereby shrinking the carbon footprint and release of chemical pollutants into the atmosphere.
A startup company under the title of Saathi pads has already been launched in rural areas. The word ‘saathi’ denotes companion in Hindi and also marks the biodegradability of napkins which are companions to the mother earth. It would take massive efforts for these newcomers to becoming members of rural parts of India. There is a distressing need of spreading awareness, by educating and informing people about the legit usage of these products.
The Indian market around sanitary pads is a reflection of our consumer psyche which is based on the established comfort zone, which is mainly the convenience of using conventional sanitary napkins. The high price of biodegradable napkins does not go well with the underprivileged sections.