Sanitary Products
The average woman will use over 11,000 disposable, single-use sanitary products in her reproductive lifetime – 90% of which are made of plastics which are non-biodegradable. Sanitary products alone generate more than 200,000 tonnes of landfill waste per year and it takes a tampon longer to degrade than the lifespan of the woman who wears it.
In the UK, an estimated 1.5 billion sanitary items are flushed down the toilet each year (please note these should never be flushed).
The majority of single-use period products (e.g. tampons, towels and pantyliners) also contain a range of chemicals which can also be harmful to the earth.
With reusables like eco coffee cups and water bottles gradually becoming a regular part of our everyday lives, attention has now turned to lessening the environmental impact of sanitary products.
From washable applicators to organic cotton tampons and menstrual discs and cups, there is much more choice available from manufacturers looking to find innovative ways to improve sanitary products. Here we showcase some great sustainable sanitary brands, many of which are led by women who not only care about developing eco-friendly sanitaryware, they are also supporting charitable initiatives around the globe.
&SISTERS tampons, towels and liners are made with sustainably-produced, natural and organic cotton which makes them totally biodegradable. They’re pH neutral which is great for sensitive skin. Prices start from £2.15 for a pack of 9 naked tampons and all products are available at &sisters.co.uk. 10% of all profits go to support women’s health, education & economic empowerment across the globe.
DAME is a sustainable British fem-tech brand, whose mission is to stop billions of period products ending up in our oceans. Since launching, they have saved over 2.5million applicators being thrown away. They launched the world’s first ever reusable applicator tampon which comes with a zipable carrying pouch and six tampons. You use it just like your normal single-use tampon applicator, but once you’ve inserted the tampon, you can simply rinse and wash the applicator and it’ll be ready for the next time. It fits all tampon sizes, from a light tampon to a super-plus tampon and is available for £24.99 at Boots.
Freda is an inclusive, sustainable and female-led brand – with a supply chain that originates from manufacturing plant in Scandinavia (which has a zero-carbon footprint). They make tampons, pads and liners from 100% eco-friendly materials, and their biodegradable tampon applicators are made from sugar cane. Prices start from £3.50 and all products can be purchased directly from myfreda.com as a subscription, with a portion of every purchase donated to worldwide initiatives tackling period poverty
Grace and Green are a vegan, organic and environmentally friendly period product brand who specialise in Ethically crafted period products made from 100% certified organic cotton. All products are plastic-free and biodegradable, with no toxins, chemicals, dyes, synthetic fibres or fragrance. You can buy tampons and towels as one-off boxes or subscriptions and the brand also stocks a range of menstrual cups too.
Flo products are natural, plant-based (they’re made using materials like organic cotton and bamboo) and biodegradable. The colourful branding and bright packaging is also fun for teens too. And not only are they kind to the planet, but they’re kind to others. 5% of profits go to charities like Orchid Project and Red Box Project, who respectively work to end female genital mutilation and period poverty throughout the UK. The applicator tampon pack starts from £4.99 and you can buy online at hereweflo.co and at Boots.
Mooncup is the original, soft, medical-grade silicone menstrual cup designed by women as the convenient, safe and zero waste alternative to standard tampons and pads, with each offering up to 8 hours of protection. Prices starts from £21.99 and you can buy online at mooncup.co.uk.
OHNE tampons and liners are made from 100% cotton and are completely biodegradable. From wrappings to delivery boxes, everything is recyclable and biodegradable. OHNE is currently the only organic delivery service in the UK to have been certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and the Soil Association. Prices start from £5.80 for a box of up to 24 tampons. You can buy online at ohne.co. For every month a user subscribes to the OHNE service, the brand will donate 5% of revenue to the Girls Programme, run by the School Club Zambia.
Established in 2013, TOTM is certified cruelty-free and vegan and sells a range of tampons, pads and liners are made with sustainably sourced and certified organic cotton, free from fragrance, wood pulp and chlorine-bleach. Tampons have biodegradable cardboard applicators and paper wrappers and are wrapped in a compostable film. In addition to disposables, TOTM also sells a zero-waste, reusable menstrual cup. Prices start from £2.70 for a pack of 10 and TOTM products are available in-store at Tesco or online at totm.com where there is an online hub of helpful information on periods. For every purchase, TOTM donates a portion to Endometriosis UK.
Lunette offer menstrual cups in a range of colours and sizes in a reusable silicone cup form. We promise, once you Lunette, you’ll never go back!
We hear from Emily from the Buy Smarter, Buy Greener team on her experience going eco friendly with her monthly essentials…
It’s a few years ago now that my sister mentioned to me that she had started using a menstrual cup. I’ll be honest, I was totally oblivious. The choices I made when buying sanitary items were based around packaging, with some brands using more paper and cardboard than plastic. Basically I had come to the conclusion that that was the best I could do regarding these monthly essentials.
So, what is a menstrual cup? A cup made from medical grade silicone or latex that is used as an eco-friendly alternative to a tampon. Instead of being replaced it can be emptied, washed and reused cycle after cycle. There are several brands out there to choose from and each cup cost roughly £20.
I’ll be honest and let you know that this product wasn’t for me. You may need to persevere to find the right choice for you.
Below are links to menstrual cups and some great alternatives if like me this one just isn’t for you.
Buy Mooncup Menstrual Cup | Online & In-store | Mooncup
TOTM | Go zero-waste with your period care 
| TOTM
Organic Cotton Tampons | Yoppie
Find out more about reusable period protection (cheekywipes.com)