Promoting reusables
One unlikely pioneer in this sector is the North London Waste Authority (NWLA). NWLA is the public body responsible for managing waste in seven north London boroughs. reduce, reuse, cycle is the agency's campaign to reduce regular product waste.
The campaign was created in partnership with women's health and climate change charity Women's Environment Network (WEN) and promotes reusables through street advertising, how-to workshops and product discounts.
Helen Lin, WEN's Environmental Menstrual Campaign Manager, said:
„When we started talking about menstrual environmental issues in 1989, no one really made the connection between disposable products and waste impacts, health impacts, and social impacts. Now the climate is… It has completely changed.”
habitual
While reusable products are becoming more popular, advertising and Social media has been the main driver of growth.
Only a handful of public institutions, including waste authorities, are committed to promoting reusables. hertfordshire.As of last month, pharmacies in the Spanish region Catalonia We are distributing free menstrual cups, period pants, and reusable cloth napkins.
NLWA Senior Public Affairs Officer Maggie O'Shea said: Many people use the brand their mothers gave them when they first got their period.
„We're not trying to shame anyone for their choices. We just want them to understand that there are reusable options.“
not regulated
Disposable pads and tampons also have potential health concerns.
In the UK, vintage manufacturers are not required to disclose what is in their products.
This is fine for tableware, clothing, and candles, which are in the same regulatory category as tampons and pads, but as WEN's Lynn pointed out, „just because certain chemicals are in socks doesn't mean… It is not necessarily safe to adhere to highly absorbent areas of the body.
“If cosmetics contained the same levels of fragrance that were present in products at the time, mandatory labeling would be necessary.
„[Policymakers]think these residues are not enough to pose a health risk, but the truth is they don't know.“
what it means
Indeed, the products at that time were found Free of harmful chemicals and residues, such as pesticides used on cotton crops and chlorine used to whiten tampons and pads. It also contains fragrances and antibacterial agents.
Not only do these pose unknown health effects, but adding such chemicals in the first place perpetuates the myth that periods are unhygienic.
And while reusables are better than disposables in many ways, there's no guarantee they're safer. period pants It was found that it contains nanosilver, an antibacterial agent.
The health effects of nanosilver when in constant proximity to absorbent vaginal tissue are unknown.
request
For WEN, this is not a risk to take. They want regulation; Menstrual Health, Dignity and Sustainability Act To get the ball rolling.
In doing so, WEN followed the lead of New York State, which enacted its first menstrual products disclosure law in 2021. Companies selling menstrual products in New York state are now required to list all intentionally added ingredients on their packaging. Several Other states followed suit.
New York State Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal explained in a WEN webinar that if companies have to label their products in New York, they should label them elsewhere.
„This creates a new norm, and I've seen it spread to other states even though they didn't explicitly require it,“ Rosenthal said.
menstrual equity
Reusable menstrual products are a solution to climate change, as well as period equity, defined as the affordability, accessibility, safety, access to education, and freedom from stigma of menstrual products. It is also a tool for
Since 2015, 'period poverty', which refers to a lack of access to menstrual products, has been a focus of the menstrual equality movement in the UK. Activists won the removal of taxes on disposable sanitary products in 2021, influencing Scotland to become the first country in the world to provide universal access to the products in 2022.
cost
Because reusable products have a relatively low lifetime cost compared to disposable products, reusable products are a valuable tool when it comes to menstrual equity, particularly period poverty.
But if we look at 'menstrual hygiene management' (MHM) in the Global South, the contribution of reusable products to menstrual equity is also clear. There, leading brands are offering disposable products free of charge to young menopausal women who have limited access to sanitary products.
Period activists and academics have criticized these brands for creating dependence on wasteful and potentially harmful products and perpetuating the idea that periods are a hygiene crisis to be solved.
MHM has also been criticized. white saviorismcites the metaphor of vulnerable women in the Global South in need of rescue by Western experts who “know better.”
Another concern about companies giving away disposable products, whether in the Global South or in countries like Scotland that mandate free products, is that they sacrifice quality to cut costs. It's a risk.
Alternative proposal
At the WEN webinar, physician and filmmaker Dr. Njoki Ngumi spoke about 2019. protest Procter & Gamble's Always brand of menstrual pads dominated the Kenyan market, in part because it provided free products to female students.
Using #MyAlwaysExperience, a Kenyan dysmenorrhea shared her experience of itching, burning and rash when using Always products. When people from other parts of Africa attended, activists wondered whether Always's products in Africa were different from those available in the United States and Britain.
I have always denied this. If labeling is not mandatory, we have to take their word for it.
Reusable products are imperfect, but they can offer a cheaper, safer and less polluting alternative to disposable tampons and pads, helping us achieve a cleaner planet and a more just future.
this author
Daisy Craig is a freelance journalist covering climate change and gender.