Plastic pollution is one of the most relevant environmental problems that we face in the 21st century, and little by little measures are being taken to reduce its use and look for alternatives. But the truth is that, in many cases, plastic makes life easier for us: menstruation care products serve as an example.
The problem is that tampons and pads are made from highly polluting, single-use materials. Tampons are made from a blend of bleached cotton or rayon, and may contain fibers and pesticides. The pads are made, for the most part, with 90% plastic.
It is estimated that a woman can use between 8,000 and 17,000 tampons in her lifetime, and about 100 billion menstruation care products are discarded each year worldwide. The Swedish brand Intimina has developed a ‘menstrual calculator’ that estimates how much waste a woman will generate and how much money she will spend until reaching menopause depending on her age and the type of products used. For example, a 14-year-old girl who only uses pads will generate 310,800 kilos of waste derived from them throughout her life.
What are the environmental costs of these products?
The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm made a comparison of the environmental impact of tampons and pads , taking into account their entire life cycle. Their “cradle to grave” assessment included the stages of raw material extraction, transportation, production, use, and waste management and took into consideration three main categories of impact: human health, ecosystem quality, and resource use.
They found that the main environmental impact of tampons and pads was related to the processing of raw materials, particularly low-density polyethylene, which is the plastic used in pads and tampon applicators. As the production of these plastics requires a lot of energy and generates long-lasting waste, the main life cycle impact of these products is the use of fossil fuels , although the waste produced is also significant on its own.
According to this work, the compresses would have a greater environmental impact due to their plastic components.
How long does it take to biodegrade?
Compresses take around 300 years to degrade. Tampons, it depends: those with a plastic applicator also take hundreds of years, and those without it take about a hundred months.
The menstrual cup, an ecological and economical alternative
The use of silicone menstrual cups is increasingly widespread. They are made of a hypoallergenic material that allows them to be worn for up to twelve hours at a time. They do not absorb, but are limited to collecting menstrual flow and have a half-life of 5-10 years depending on the brand.
Beyond its low environmental impact, the menstrual cup is a very comfortable alternative, since it takes up little space, can be used for many hours at a time and, above all, saves a lot of money. The main drawback of this product is that not all women get used to its handling, especially if they are apprehensive about blood. However, there are also other more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional products, such as reusable organic cotton pads.
