Are Sanitary Pads Sanitary To Nature?
Isn’t this an intriguing title? I thought so too, in fact, I was very proud when I came up with it first. And here I am, five months later, still thinking about my introduction. But, no more wasting time anymore!
Initially, when I started with this article, I had a list of questions I wanted to address. Over time, the questions remained the same but the answers, well, let’s find it out.
The first question is, WHY THIS TOPIC? Well, I am a woman and have been using sanitary pads for like forever now. It has been a forever item on our monthly shopping list, right ladies? Yes, the brand might change as frequently as our moods, but I also think it’s time to change our minds about what happens next. The process of a monthly cycle might end after a couple of days, but the process of its disposal(or the struggle of disposal if I may say so) begins right there!
I read somewhere that a single sanitary pad that contains plastic takes 500–800 years to completely decompose. Linking a reliable source, in case you think that’s bizarre. If the process is so long and unsustainable, I think it makes perfect sense to address this issue. Hence, the WHY.
WHY NOW? is the second question which I discarded earlier. But let me address that too with some interesting statistics. As of 2023, the world’s female population is 4.01 billion. Estimated data says that around 688 million reside in India alone. The magnitude of the data is huge, right? Of course, we can subtract the females of reproductive age from the total female population but you get the gist. We are talking about a lottt of females. Now, pause for a second and think of how many sanitary pads these women might use in their lifetime. So, to address this question now seems like an urgent matter.
The third and most important question is, WHAT DO I MEAN BY NATURE? To put it simply, nature means everyone in the ecosystem + the forests. The ecosystem includes the sanitary pad manufacturing companies, we the consumers, the garbage collectors and ragpickers, recycling companies, landfills, birds, dogs, EVERYONE!
Of course, this huge list of stakeholders doesn’t make sense without a HOW question. How do they contribute to the problem?
Like any other company, the logic of a sanitary pad manufacturing company is very simple. Maximize profits! How do they do that? They use synthetic materials that can manufacture a lot of products in less time. Synthetic materials like plastic, super absorbent polymers (SAP) which have a significant environmental footprint, and adhesives to name a few. All of these are non-biodegradable and really harmful to the environment.
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The business giants apart from solely thinking of their profits should work on a biodegradable solution too. Like using raw materials like organic cotton, bamboo fibre, and even jute and banana fibre. I am not saying to switch from non-biodegradable to biodegradable materials right away but start by taking a step in that direction. It can be as small as setting up a research lab to find out more eco-friendly and pocket-friendly options. One great example would be the Celligo BioSAP. Material scientists from IIT Delhi started this to find a biodegradable solution for synthetic SAP. Instead of just manufacturing, if the companies can focus on innovating, I think nature will thank them.
The centre of the sanitary pads universe are we, the consumers. I would like to think that we are not part of the problem because as our moms have convinced us, the menstrual cycle is natural and we as women are blessed with it, but the truth is, we are a part of the problem, in fact, a major one. Have we ever thought of what happens once we put our pads in the garbage bins? No right, just wash our hands and go back to life. The garbage collectors collecting our waste are humans too. So, let’s start by disposing neatly and respectfully.
How to do that? Simple, choose sanitary pads which come with small disposal bags with it. Are those available in the market? Yes, and the disposal bags are biodegradable too. Niine, Nua, and Avni Ezeepad, are some of the brands who made disposal bags their USP. Of course, there is also the concern that I like a particular brand for so and so reason, in that case, you can also go for options like Sirona which gives you 300 disposal bags for Rs 865 which means Rs 3 for a bag. Sounds affordable to me.
This small step can save a lot for everyone — proper disposal of the waste, save yourself an embarrassment, and the garbage collectors who more than often segregate waste by their hands don’t have to see it. I am pretty sure we can win humanity with at least Rs 3 per bag. This small step can be really helpful to the birds and the dogs also, who sometimes pick up stuff from the landfills. The result, pollution around landfills, pollution away from landfills and the ill effects on the very animals.
Let’s come to the recycling companies. Like manufacturing, there is a serious need for innovation here as well. Last month, I was watching Shark Tank India, and due to God’s grace or my algorithm change, I saw a 26-year-old pitching a sanitary pad management system, Padcare, that can recycle 15,000 pads in a day. He claims that this process can conserve 15 MT of carbon emissions every month. I don’t know how much that is, but I am sure it’s huge. The 21st century needs a lot more sustainable solutions like Padcare.
Talking of sustainable solutions, we as consumers can make an informed decision of choosing bio-degradable and nature-friendly sanitary pads. It is possible that choosing those over the traditional sanitary pads available at the local store would increase the cost, but not everything has to be quantifiable right? I mean, we still have to live on the same planet Earth, let’s make a small contribution towards it.
How can we forget the role of government here? Aren’t they supposed to make situations for rag-pickers a little better? Aren’t they supposed to handle all the waste in an effective manner? I think we already know the answer to this one, but let me answer the first question.
As per an article in The Hindu, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change said that the disposal bags will be mandated by 2021. As per this, all the sanitary napkin manufacturers will have to provide biodegradable bags compulsorily. This policy may be true in letters but not in spirit because if the government really implements this policy, the consumers won’t have to think twice, plus the garbage collector workers will live a dignified life.
We are pretty much to the end of the article, but I feel like I can address one more quick question. HOW CAN MEN CONTRIBUTE IN THIS CAUSE? Simple answer, shut up and listen to women around you when they are menstruating. We will take care of the rest of nature! Of course, you can help with the innovation part to find sustainable solutions, invest in companies that provide disposal bags, and if you are a part of the government, please implement the mandatory disposal bags policy.
To answer the very question that we started this article with, are sanitary pads sanitary to nature? I would say, not yet, but if we collectively make an effort towards it, there will be a time in the near future that we will be able to deal with the waste responsibly.
