A new sustainable period: the OrganiCup

Hi everyone!

Today, I'm going to talk about a topic that I personally feel is not discussed enough: women’s period. Why did I choose such a topic?

First of all, let me remind you that when we talk about sustainability, we are not simply discussing about the natural environment. Indeed, especially thanks to the promotion of the SDGs, sustainability assumes four dimensions:  

• Environmental
• Economic
• Social
• Institutional

(you can read more about it in one of my previous articles on the blog “SDGs: how YOU too can make an impact”).

Now, environmentally speaking, if you think about menstruation, it is a huge deal: an individual goes through approximately 11,000 disposable pads and/or tampons in a lifetime. Tampons, pads and their plastic packaging generate tons of waste per year, as much as 200 thousands.

More than 800 million women menstruate daily. But globally, at least 500 million lack proper access to menstrual hygiene facilities, based on the non profit organization PeriodLink https://www.periodlink.com/?fbclid=IwAR1C67eOH9ZC0uFOlHrWcF0UQ5wZREKrkO6MslNUlR3rHktjaMGcGIsfrGI

The numbers are astonishing: the average user throws away 125 to 150 kg of tampons, pads and applications in their lifetime. What's more, the carbon footprint of a year's worth of disposable period products is equal to 5.3 kg CO2. 

Their life cycle is very hazardous: the raw material extraction usually means production of cotton, a material that requires huge quantities of water to be grown. Moreover, when the cotton is non-organic, we need to add the use of pesticides and chemicals which can be released into the air and water, causing pollution.

Also, several pads contain polyethylene plastic (the adhesive used to make the pad stick to the underwear), which is a very environmentally dangerous pollutant. 

There are no biodegradable options so far and the reusable pads might not be too handy when being outside and not having water available to wash them up.

So, is there a greener alternative? Fortunately, there is!

The organic cup is an innovative menstrual product with the aim to replace disposable period products. Introduced in 2012 in Copenhagen by the company OrganiCup, it has spread worldwide: each year the number of women deciding to benefit from it is increasing more and more. Here’s their website if you want to check it out https://www.organicup.com/

It has several positive impacts: first, being reusable for years, it reduces the amount of waste due to disposable period products. On their website, there’s a cool feature that allows you to calculate how much money and waste you are going to save if, from now till menopause, you switch to a menstrual cup! Here’s the link to the quiz, if you want to try it out! It can really be surprising! https://www.organicup.com/product/organicup-mini/

Just to give you an idea, 2 years of period products equals 528 tampons or 1 cup. You're choice. 

Second, when it comes to health, their organic cup is made by 100% medical grade silicone, which is a very copious mineral on earth: this means that it’s not dangerous for depletion of natural resources and neither for bodies since it is not even colored (it doesn't contain additives). Moreover, the organic cup is very hygienic since it’s sterilized in boiling water at its first and last uses; during the next uses, it can be simply washed with water and mild perfume-free soap or a sanitizing wipe.

There are 3 different sizes (this is orientative, then it really depends on the person):

·        A for who hasn’t given birth vaginally;

·        B for who has given birth vaginally;

·        MINI for teens.

It doesn’t cause any leaks so it can be worn day and night, with a maximum capacity of 12 hours.

Now, having tried myself to use the OrganiCup, I cannot just say that “Oh, yes, it is absolutely amazing, it is so easy and handy”: I wish it was true. I had difficulties, especially at the beginning but I am happy to know that I am shifting from pads to the OrganiCup in a gradual way: to each woman, her own time!  

Surely, I have been satisfied with the packaging: it is made of recycled paper and the instructions are written on the inside of the package to minimize useless waste and to use space at its maximum potential. An organic cotton carrying pouch is included to carry the cup around.

Furthermore, the organic cup represents a sustainable way to manage and eradicate the "period poverty": it’s safe and cheap. Socially speaking, accessibility to period products should be a right that every girl and woman around the world should be able to exercise. I was pleasantly surprised when I read about the OrganiCup ongoing project: “Taboo: Global Periods”; it uncovers the implications of menstruation in the lives of teenagers around the globe.⁠ I think you should check out the link to read more about some interesting stories https://tabooglobalperiods.com/ 

Talking about recommendations, I would suggest you to watch "Period. End of Sentence", an original Netflix documentary which describes the lives of Indian women handling their period poverty between embarrassment and necessities. It can help us reflect about the importance of teaching, especially to those women living in underdeveloped countries, the innovative tools that we have in order to handle our menstruation in an eco-conscious way. In a country like India, where men think that menstruation's an illness and women cannot even pronunce the word "period" in front of others, education is fundamental to introduce new and eco-friendly habits. 
Obviously, we need to face another problem: we (speaking for the women living in all those more developed countries where we have plenty of options) can happily decide to switch to the organic cup but is it possible to find such an availability in a low-income country? What the documentary shows is a group of women setting up machines to produce pads: the "factory" is a very small room where electricity is not always available, with minimum hygienic conditions. However, it does bring income to the women working there, boosting their self-confidence and their independence. 
So, how to reconcile easy earnings with eco-friendly products? It is not only about providing organic cups from the developed world but it is important also to provide for women's economic subsistence. As always, the answer lies in the countries where we want to see improvements: building factories, investing in quality material, giving access to specific knowledge and providing a good salary. Unfortunately, so far, it sounds easier to distribute organic cups. It is an honorable action but it does not cut the problem from its roots. 

Usually, in developing countries, access to female hygienic products is very difficult: most of the times, they are way too expensive. The lack of education about menstruation leads young girls to be embarrassed about their periods: so they don’t ask for help. It's a cultural and, sometimes, religious issue that needs to be addresses. The OrganiCup is partnering with many NGOs around the world to raise awareness and provide education about menstrual health, to help fill up this lack of knowledge and money: every girl and woman in the world has the right to know about her body and to talk about her period because it is probably one of the most natural things in the world. And with the organic cup, it becomes even greener.

Martina Forbicini

A more sustainable life starts with little actions: are you using the OrganiCup or are you thinking to give it a try? Do you use any other product which might revolutionize women’s menstruation?

Let us know in the comments!

*All the data of the article can be found in the official website of OrganiCup https://www.organicup.com/impact/