At a time when soiled sanitary napkins pose a real biohazard, Kanika, a Thrissur-based woman’s organisation, is focusing on production of organic napkins.
“We were inspired by the mission of Arunachalam Muruganantham of Coimbatore, the award-winning social entrepreneur popularly known as ‘menstrual man of India’. We use the machinery and technology developed by him,” said Vasanthi Gopalan, the founder president of Kanika.
‘Soukyam,’ the organic napkins made by the organisation, uses wood pulp and gel cotton and is totally environmental friendly.
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According to studies, about 353 million women and adolescent girls of reproductive age need to dispose of menstrual waste in the country. The sanitary pad revolution has created a huge biohazard for the county. Use of non-biodegradable napkins is increasing everyday with rising incomes and changing demographics. We produce several hundred million used sanitary pads a month.
“Disposal of used napkins is a real concern in modern India. Incinerators are rare and could have negative impact on environment. Our napkins are biodegradable. Even if it is burnt, it will not create toxic fumes,” said Ms. Gopalan.
No chemicals are used in our napkins and so they are healthy and hygienic, she added. According to experts, the modern sanitary napkins with odour neutralisers and fragrance use artificial colours, polyester, adhesives, polyethylene, polypropylene and propylene glycol (PEG), which may cause hormone imbalance, cancer and infertility.
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About 90 per cent of the napkins are plastic. When the thin top layer on napkins is made of polypropylene, padding is done by wood pulp mixed with super absorbent polymers. The leak proof layer is made from polyethylene.
“We have not started commercial production. But the pads prepared by our volunteers have already become a hit among the users. Though people are used to the modern fragrant napkins, many health-conscious women come to us for the pads,” Ms. Gopalan said.