organic pads and tampons
If you like to use standard style menstrual products (pads and tampons) then natural organic cotton pads and tampons are the best, eco-friendliest option. It’s important to get menstrual products that are free from bleach, chlorine, coatings, pesticides and perfumes, these nasty chemicals have no place inside (or near) our bodies.
One of our favourite brands is Tsuno, a social enterprise, with 50% of their profits going to charities focused on empowering women with education and menstrual support.
Why are organic pads and tampons better for your hormones?
Despite all the steps we take to ensure we have optimum health by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly, we ultimately are only as healthy as the environment we live in. This involves what we put on, in and around our body’s, including pads and tampons.
Standard generic pads and tampons are often coated with dioxins, bleaches, pthalates, made of plastic and if not organic have been sprayed with pesticides and scented with fragrance. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors (xenoestrogens), and may interfere with the body’s endocrine (hormone and cell signalling) system and produce adverse reproductive, developmental, immune and neurological effects.
Xenoestrogens strongly mimic oestrogen, some examples include dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and bisphenols (found in pesticides, petrochemicals and plastics). As these xenoestrogens mimic oestrogen this can create an imbalance in the menstrual cycle that may come with some very unpleasant symptoms like severe period pain or exaggerated PMS and even long-term health concerns.
Unlike endogenous oestrogens, which exert their major influence in the years between puberty and menopause, xenoestrogens and environmental oestrogens can have an effect from before birth until death and remain at a static level during menstruation, breast-feeding and pregnancy. This ongoing exposure increases the likelihood of adverse health implications from environmental oestrogens.
When we use organic pads and tampons we reduce this exposure and avoid nasty chemicals that might negatively affect our hormones and overall health.
Why are organic pads and tampons good for the earth?
Standard period products can create a lot of waste. The sanitary items, their packaging, wrappings and even applicators all end up in landfill. This is why we have swapped to more sustainable and reusable period products including organic pads and tampons.
Pads and tampons that are not organic are often made out of plastic. These conventional period products end up in landfill, over a lifetime the on average a person who menstruates will throw away about 11,000 sanitary items. Plastic menstrual hygiene products, their plastic packaging and applicators will take about 500 years to breakdown.
Cotton pads and tampons are also available. If they are not organic, however, they have been sprayed with pesticides. Use of pesticides can have a myriad of negative effects. Pesticides threaten the quality of soil and water, as well as the health of biodiversity in and downstream from the fields including bee deaths. Heavy use of pesticides also raises concern for the health of farm workers and nearby populations. Organic tampons are biodegradable, just cut them up and they can be composted, their boxes can be recycled and soft plastic packaging can be taken to a REDcycle.
Tampons
Tsuno use certified organic cotton tampons. Their tampons are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and registered under the Therapeutic Goods Administration. They believe using organic cotton is a non negotiable for their tampons - and like us, they think pesticides, fertilisers and unhealthy farming practices have no place in our products, or our bodies!
Pads
Tsuno pads are made from a natural bamboo and corn fibre top sheet, individually wrapped in biodegradable sleeves, and finally packaged in recyclable cardboard boxes. Bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable fibres available due to its fast growth-rate, low demands on resources and natural resistance to pests and fungi. It is also super absorbent, breathable, soft and comfortable, antibacterial, and just generally amazing!
There has also been no chlorine or dioxin bleach used in the manufacturing process.
Our interview with Tsuno.
We sat down with Roz from Tsuno to chat about all things sustainable menstrual products, social enterprise and innovative design.
Bare Health Studio: What is Tsuno and who is behind the business?
Hi! I am Roz, the founder of Tsuno, a social enterprise that sells sustainable natural bamboo fibre pads and organic cotton tampons. We donate half our profits to a charity called One Girl, whose mission is to educate and empower girls in Africa. I have been running Tsuno from my home for 7 years now with help from Tash and Anita, my wonderful colleagues!
Bare Health Studio: One of our drivers for switching to sustainable period products is reducing exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals. Why are sustainable menstrual products important to you?
There are a number of reasons why sustainable menstrual products are important to me. I am studying industrial design and definitely have an innate drive to problem solve and innovate. Many years ago at uni I did a class on the social and environmental impact on everyday product design and found myself interested in menstrual health product design. It opened up a whole new world for me about sustainability, materials and most importantly women’s empowerment. Many of the sanitary products on our supermarket shelves are full of plastic and their packaging can be pretty bleak and uninspiring. I felt like we needed to address the issues of menstrual taboo as well as the negative impact the farming of conventional cotton has on the environment, and the amount of plastic waste ending up in landfill, and so, along with my interest in education and equality, Tsuno was born!
We love the Tsuno brand and everything you do as a social enterprise. What inspired you to donate 50% of your profits to charities that focus on empowering women, with the main focus being education and menstrual support?
The charity One Girl was a driving inspiration to me to start Tsuno. They send girls to school in Sierra Leone and Uganda and also run a program called Launch Pad, ensuring adequate sanitary protection is available and affordable to students and women in local communities. Before I really committed to starting Tsuno I also took part in the One Girl Do It In A Dress Challenge, for a week I replaced my usual period products with items like newspaper, rags and a sponge. I realised my life is so easy in comparison, I just couldn’t imagine not having access to those things. I really want our platform at Tsuno to not only be a period product company but also be a space for frank and honest conversations about menstrual health. Recently we posted about period poo and got really positive feedback as it just isn’t something many people feel comfortable talking about- we do though!
We are so pleased that Tsuno pads and tampons are made from amazing natural materials, cotton and bamboo. What is the best way to dispose of them properly?
Our tampons are 100% organic cotton but they are individually wrapped in a soft polypropylene film which is the government regulated standard we are required to adhere to, it is to ensure that moisture and bacteria is controlled from the atmosphere. The wrapper needs to go in the bin or can be recycled at RedCycle soft plastic drop off points around the country. The tampons themselves are 100% organic cotton (no plastic mesh like some brands) so can be composted, but also can go in the bin. Never flush your period products down the toilet! It puts a burden on the sewage infrastructure and can end up in the ocean! Our pad wrappers and bottom layer is made using biodegradable material which breaks down best in commercial composting, they are a PLA +PBAT blend bio-plastic. This material can break down in up to 6 months in a commercial composting system with ideal oxygen levels and temperatures. Our liner is completely biodegradable and works best in commercial composting. The middle layer of our regular and overnight pads is a super absorbent polymer material which is not biodegradable. At this stage, this is the most efficient material for absorbing menstrual flow that we've found, but our search continues to find a suitable renewable alternative that absorbs just as well.
What advice would you give to your younger self about periods?
I was one of the last girls in my year group to get my period and it was a source of anxiety for quite a few years anticipating when it would come. I'd probably just tell myself to chill out. Oh! And not to go on the pill when the doctor prescribed it as a solution for acne at 16 years old. I have gained so much knowledge about menstrual cycle awareness in recent years and it has helped me understand why I'm feeling the way I'm feeling at any given time during the month and it's so empowering. I wish I'd had that knowledge throughout my late teens and twenties.
What advice would you give to someone who hasn’t switched to a sustainable menstrual hygiene product yet and is still a bit hesitant?
I'd encourage people to be open to all the innovative and sustainable alternatives available to them now. Do research online and have conversations with friends or their GP. And maybe test some alternative products out on a quiet weekend at home or in the evenings at home to see how they go.
