Feminine sanitary products are a necessity for a large portion of the world’s population, but most options are extremely wasteful, as they are designed to be single-use. This is both damaging to the environment and the consumer, as people with periods are forced to purchase new products over and over again. Single-use menstrual products are extremely wasteful, and are often composed of cotton, which is extremely resource-intensive, and plastic, which is not biodegradable. According to Statista, 174 million boxes full of tampons and 396 million containers packed with sanitary pads were used in 2018 in the US alone. Almost all of these will end up in landfills or sewer systems.

Right now, single-use feminine products dominate the market, and most businesses want to keep it that way. Instead of buying a set to use, clean, and use again, disposable pads must be bought over and over again, keeping consumers reliant on companies. It’s no wonder why corporations are complacent with this cycle, as “[t]he global feminine hygiene products market size reached US$ 27.8 Billion in 2023,” and offering products that don’t need to be replaced keeps profits flowing in (“Feminine Hygiene Products Market Size & Share Report 2032”). For some, convenience is worth the cost, but many aren’t aware of the benefits of reusable products, or don’t have access to them.

It is estimated that “the average menstruating person us[es] over 11,000 disposable pads and tampons” in their life, which costs them much more than investing in reusable products (Notman). On top of waste, the effects of manufacturing result in vastly different environmental impacts overall. One study estimated that using disposable pads results in twice the amount of CO2 emissions as reusable ones, factoring in production and the impact of cleaning reusable pads between use (“The Carbon Impacts of Menstrual Products”). Reusable menstrual cups fared even better, with impacts making up “less than 1.5% the environmental impacts of the disposable products and approximately only 10% of the cost” over the course of a single year (Hait and Powers).

The main issue with sustainable period products is the influence of social norms, as disposable objects are the status quo. Many people that try reusable products find that they prefer them to the single-use versions, as they are often more comfortable, make less noise, and can absorb more. Like disposable pads, cloth pads come in a variety of sizes and offer high absorbency. For example, the reusable pad company Dame offers pads that absorb up to 20-40 mL, the equivalent of four regular pads or tampons, in a single pad (“Reusable Period Pad”). Additionally, they can be easily cleaned by adding to a load of laundry, though it should be noted that many brands urge against the use of fabric softener, which can compromise the absorbency of the pad.

Reusable menstrual products can be a fantastic swap for many individuals, but the fact is that they just aren’t the standard choice. By changing social norms and telling others about the benefits of reusable products, consumers can drastically reduce their waste while saving money.

I spent hours trying to compile the statistics for this article, and I was infuriated that there were very few scientific sources that compared the absorbency and environmental impact of reusable and disposable pads. I’ve been almost exclusively using reusable pads for a while now, and I knew that the ones I use are more absorbent than disposable ones, but I struggled to find any indication of how much a reusable pad can absorb. You would really think that reusable pad companies would advertise enhanced absorption rates, because it makes them appealing even to those that aren’t passionate about the environment, yet it took hours of searching to find a single brand that listed relative absorbance of their pads in quantitative terms. It makes me want to do an experiment testing different brands and alternatives, but considering it’s not even close to my field of study, I don’t think I can warrant the investment of time and a bunch of different packs of pads.

If you look online at company websites for reusable period products, they will probably cost you a pretty penny, but many online retailers like Amazon have options that are much more affordable. Obviously, Amazon is not at the top of my list for companies to support, but people can make more sustainable swaps for the same amount of money if more cheap options are available. At the time of writing this, there are quite a few listings where you can get six reusable pads for about $10, which is a really fantastic investment. Would recommend!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post, which is another example of what you can do as a consumer to combat climate change! Stay tuned to learn with me!

“Feminine Hygiene Products Market Size & Share Report 2032.” http://Www.imarcgroup.com, http://www.imarcgroup.com/feminine-hygiene-products-market/methodology. Accessed 20 July 2024.

Hait, Amy, and Susan E. Powers. “The Value of Reusable Feminine Hygiene Products Evaluated by Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 150, no. 1, Nov. 2019, p. 104422, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104422.

Notman, Nina. “Single-Use Plastic in Period Products.” RSC Education, 8 Mar. 2021, edu.rsc.org/feature/single-use-plastic-in-period-products/4013167.article#:~:text=Disposable%20period%20pads%20contain%20up.

“Reusable Period Pad.” DAME, wearedame.co/products/reusable-period-pads?variant=39921449467988. Accessed 20 July 2024.

“The Carbon Impacts of Menstrual Products.” Zero Waste Scotland, 22 Mar. 2023, http://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/carbon-impacts-menstrual-products.

“Topic: Feminine Hygiene Market.” Statista, 19 Mar. 2024, http://www.statista.com/topics/4889/feminine-hygiene-market/#editorsPickswww.statista.com/topics/4889/feminine-hygiene-market/#editorsPicks. Accessed 20 July 2024.