Look away boys.. this one's about to make your toes curl.
I might as well confront the issue head on..
PERIODS.
50% of the world's population have them, so should this be as taboo a subject as it is?!
But how many of us ladies really know what we're putting in our bodies, or where our sanitary friends go afterwards?
Would it worry you to know that conventional menstrual pads can contain up to 90% plastic, or that traces of pesticides or dioxin (highly toxic environmental persistent organic pollutants FYI) have been found on leading feminine care brands?
Or how about the fact that the great majority of these products end up incinerated or in landfill.
Figures from the Marine Conservation Society reveal that on average, 4.8 pieces of menstrual waste are found per 100 metres of beach cleaned. For every 100m of beach, that amounts to 4 pads, panty-liners and backing strips, along with at least one tampon and applicator.
BUT, it finally it looks like Supermarkets & Manufacturers are taking note.
*HOORAH!*
Sainsbury's are now listing seven SKU's for biodegradable cotton tampon brand, Yoni and Tesco began stocking Time Of The Month's organic, non-GM cotton products at the end of last year. With other brands such as Freda (who also donate £1 from each subscription order towards ending period poverty) Mooncup & Tampon Tribe making headway in the D2C market, is this the start of a shake up for our time of the month habits?
From fruit and veg to alcoholic drinks, no category can escape the backlash against single-use plastic. The same goes for sanitary products as consumers wake up to the levels of waste produced as a result of their monthly cycle. According to the US-based National Research Center for Women & Families, the average menstruator uses somewhere between 11,000 and 16,000 tampons and 12,000 pads in a lifetime. That’s equal to 160kg of waste, without including packaging or applicators.
Read the original article here