Environmentally sustainable SANITARY OPTIONS PREPARED BY Lunette for the
Let ’ s start with the problem... • Conventional Sanitary pads (being plastic) create a favourable environment for growth of bacteria and fungal infections, so users are recommended to change pads after 4-8 hours, or tampon every 3 hours (so that’s 8 changes per day, that’s over 22 per cycle) • Each user throws away 1 shopping bag worth of plastics, wrappers and tampons per period cycle (av. 13 periods per year) • The average menstruating person uses 11 000 disposable menstrual hygiene products in their lifetime There are six million (6 000 000) people in Australian and New Zealand menstruating per month, every month!!
Conventional Disposable pads 90% of a conventional sanitary napkin is made of plastic polymers: • Backing • Adhesive strips • Dri-weave top sheet • Packaging
Conventional Tampons • Cost you around $8-$15 per month • Typically made from bleached cotton or rayon • Slight risk of TSS • Removes 35% of healthy vaginal secretions (this is why tampons can cause dryness and irritation)
Waste water treatment... • Around 192 million pads and tampons end up in our waste water each year • Water treatment plants must remove these • Millions of litres of clean water is wasted each year treating the waste water
Blocked plumbing pipes Around 80% of 11-24yo people still flush their tampons down the toilet. Up to 75% of blocked drains are caused by coventional disposable sanitary items.
Over 1 Billion Pads & 700 Million Tampons are discarded by Australian & New Zealanders EVERY YEAR! BREAKDOWN TIME: Conventional Pads: around 300years Conventional Tampons: 6months- 5years
Sure, Pads and Tampons can make beautiful things
Let ’ s look at the solution Biodegradable single-use pads and tampons Cloth Pads & Reusable Period Underpants Menstrual Cups
Biodegradable single-use PADS Made from organic cotton or bamboo fibre mix, any plastic materials are biodegradable TAMPONS Made from organic cotton fibres These are compostable and break down quickly once disposed of (around 3months in optimal conditons).
Reusable Period Pants • Leak-proof, odour absorbing, moisture wicking, re-usable underwear • Made from stain resistant anti- microbial fabrics • Available in varying absorbencies-light flow(1/2 teaspoon or tampon) to heavy flow (2 teaspoons or 2 tampons) • Use → rinse in cold water → put in washing machine (no fabric softener) → air dry → re-use
Cloth Pads • Cloth pads come in a variety of shapes, colours, sizes and absorbency. They have the following features: • A waterproof backing made from PUL (polyurethane laminated) material • An absorbent material in the middle layer such as hemp fabric, bamboo velour or cotton fleece • A soft cotton top fabric • With proper care should last for 5 years
Menstrual cups
• Made from 100% medical silicone • Hypoallergenic • Is used internally like a tampon • Empty when full or every 12hrs • Can be used during the night • Can be used by all including teenagers and virgins • Easy to clean and use • One cup can last for up to 10 years when used with care
$$ Savings $$ Over 10 Years, the costs for an Australian or New Zealander are • Pads & tampons (@ $15 /period) = $2000 • Cloth pads or Period Pants = $200-$300 • Menstrual cup = $50-70 By switching to reusable options this equates to a saving of over $8 000 during your menstruating life !!!
The choice is yours
Start where you are, Use what you have, Be an Agent of change …
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