Time to Talk Periods – Environment and Climate Change
Did you know that period products are the fifth most common item found polluting Europe’s beaches?
As part of our Time to Talk Periods campaign, we want to highlight the damage that single-use plastic period products are having on our planet and how this will ultimately effect our future and how they are huge contributors to climate change.
They may be the fifth most common polluting item, but they are often overlooked as many people focus on more common culprits such as plastic straws and plastic bottles. We want to change this and help raise awareness.
Most plastic period products are only used for a few hours at a time, yet they can take 500 years to break down with most ending up landfill and our oceans!
Who is Ella Daish?
Ella Daish is an activist and environmentalist who has been campaigning since early 2018 to eliminate all plastic from menstrual products and we have teamed up with Ella for our Time to Talk Periods campaign.
Like us, Ella believes change must happen at all levels. Due to this, Ella works hard to meet with manufacturers and decision makers, talks to governments and councils and encourages individuals to start conversations.
Through her work, Ella discovered that period products contain up to 90% plastic and take over 500 years to break down which inspired her to take action and start her own campaign.
Ella’s campaign calls on supermarkets and manufacturers to remove plastic from their period products. Due to her hard work, the awareness on this often overlooked issue is starting to rise and high profile brands are starting to take notice and make necessary change.
Thanks to the campaign, many supermarkets and retailers’ now stock eco-friendly options including reusables in their shops.
You can sign Ella’s petition here
What period products are sustainable?
Many period care brands such as Natracare and &Sisters have embraced producing period products such as tampons and pads that are completely plastic free from the packaging to the product. They ensure that their pads have been produced using organic cotton which means no unnecessary plastics, chemicals or dyes have been used in the product.
Plastic free tampons can also be applicator free or instead have a cardboard applicator.
Similarly to pads, using organic cotton in tampons means no chemicals, dyes or plastics have been used. Brands such as DAME have also produced a reusable tampon applicator which is suitable for use with all size Dame tampons and most standard-size non applicator tampons. It is made from high quality medical grade Mediprene and medical grade polypropylene which makes the tampon applicator is so easy to use and clean. By using a reusable applicator you could also save 12,000 tampon applicators from entering our oceans!
The menstrual cup is also a great, sustainable alternative. One menstrual cup such as the Mooncup can last you years and ultimately save you money as it eliminates the need to constantly purchase period products. Menstrual cups are made from a soft silicone that is easy to use and clean.
Additionally, period pants and reusable pads are now readily available. Period pants are designed to be worn like you would your normal underwear and are designed to absorb your period whilst keeping your fresh and comfortable and can be washed like you would your normal clothes. Like a menstrual cup, one pair of period pants can last you for years and prevents a whole load of single-use products being disposed of. Reusable pads work in a similar way and are designed to be used in the same way you would a conventional pad but without the need to dispose. Simply wash them after use!
As part of our Time to Talk Periods campaign, we want to join to the conversation and beat the stigma and help end period poverty. Combatting sustainability and combatting period poverty go hand in hand; one can not be achieved without the other…
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