On average a woman will have 456 periods over 38 years. This is roughly 2280 days! Each woman will use between 10 000 to 12 000 single use period products in her lifetime. This equates to between 125 and 150kg of waste of period products and packaging.

RISK TO YOU:

Financial! Single use products are expensive.

RISK TO THE ENVIRONMENT:

There is a rise in the use of single use menstrual products worldwide. In the US and EU combined, 68 billion menstrual products are discarded per year! These products are often not discarded appropriately with a large % flushed down the toilets contaminating and polluting our fresh water supplies and marine environments. In the UK nearly 4 million menstrual products are flushed down the toilet every day. The result is that Menstrual products are now the 5th most common item you will find on the beaches in Europe.

Pads are made up of 90% plastic and tampons are 6% plastic (excluding the applicator). One pack of pads has the same amount of plastic as 5 shopping bags!

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RISK TO YOU:

Although plastic in the product can reduce spills and leaks, it traps moisture and heat, promotes yeast and bacterial growth and contributes to burning, chaffing and soreness.

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RISK TO THE ENVIRONMENT: 

The plastic components in one of these products take up to 500 years to breakdown and while decomposing, they release toxic chemicals and microplastics which pollute the soil, air and water supply. Plastic remains in our ecosystem for years, harming thousands of sea creatures every day. Microplastics leach toxic additives into the ocean while they break down while also acting like a sponge absorbing other harmful chemicals from the sea water onto their surface. This makes them very toxic for fish, sea mammals and the humans that eat them.

The ingredients of sanitary products include cotton, rayon (derived from wood pulp), dioxin (highly toxic compound produced in the bleaching process), plastics, pesticides and a combination of undisclosed chemicals used to fragrance the product.

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RISK TO YOU:

The area that these products touches is highly effective at absorbing toxins. It is important to consider the long-term impact using these products may have on your body. Dioxin has been linked to ovarian cancer, damaged immune system, hormonal dysfunction, and infertility. Exposure to pesticides and other chemicals are linked to infertility, thyroid malfunction, diabetes, and endometriosis.

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RISK TO THE ENVIROMENT:

The majority of sanitary products lands up in landfill and the chemicals, pesticides, plastics and toxins pollute the surrounding environment.

If 1 million women switched to washable period products, we would divert 280 million single use pads and tampons from landfill every year.