Saving the Earth – One Cup at a Time
As women, we always have “that time of the month” marked off on our calendars. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to have remembered to “stock up” before our periods arrive, sometimes they catch us completely unprepared. We tear open a new pack of sanitary napkins or tampons, use enough to get us through the next 5-7 days and grimly wage battle against stains, breaks in exercise routines, and so on. What if there was another way? A way to have a stainless period. One that did not burden the already groaning Earth?
Let’s break down a pad for you first.
One of the key components of a pad is cotton. It’s a crop which is known for being water-intensive. A large scale production of sanitary products requires huge amounts of cotton being grown, thus depleting the water table.
Again, in order to get maximum produce, cotton is soaked with pesticides and insecticides. Definitely not what we’d want around sensitive parts of our body, let alone the impact on the environment.
In India, in order to give pads their pure white look, the cotton is bleached. The chemicals present in the bleach used in pads has been known to cause abnormal growth in reproductive tissues.
When you buy pads across the counter in a store, they come neatly wrapped in plastic, with each individual piece having their own plastic case. This combined with the glue and plastic protectors results in a huge amount of non-biodegradable waste being dumped every month.
Used pads also have to be disposed off, and once they are burnt in landfills, release harsh chemicals into the ground and air. They take centuries to decompose and continue to leach poison into the environment with every passing minute.
Let’s contrast this with a menstrual cup.
The key component in the menstrual cup is silicone. This is made from silica, a river sand which is one of the most abundant resources you find in the environment. Not only is it not harmful to the environment, it is also medically tested to ensure it is safe for the human body,
The Nari-Yari cup itself is certified to be free from toxicity and vaginal irritation under ISO 10993-10:2010(E) and ISO 10993-5:2009(E). This means freedom from rashes, itching, the fear of Toxic Shock Syndrome right away.
Nari-Yari packs each cup in a cloth pouch, which can be reused throughout the lifetime of the cup. It comes in cardboard boxes which are biodegradable, and can also be reused just like the cloth pouch.
Finally, a menstrual cup has a lifespan of a decade. This means that for 10 years, you don’t have to worry about burdening the earth with plastic waste. When the time comes to dispose of the cup, you’ll be happy to know it slowly disintegrates into its original form – silica – which means that we are actually giving back to the Earth as well.
If you are ready to give the Nari-Yari cup a try, just visit www.nariyari.com or call us on +91 9341255690.
Read more about the amazing health benefits you get from using a cup here. You can also see what alternatives we have for young girls here, if you want the next gen to have a plastic-free period right from the start!