Sustainable or ‘eco-friendly’ periods have entered the scene in recent years and they’re here to stay. You might still find yourself asking - what does that really mean? And can you really have a sustainable period without choosing a reusable period product? Well, here’s the FLO-down:
Why do we need eco-friendly periods?
Those who menstruate and love planet Earth are likely to be outraged by the alarming relationship between periods and sustainability:
Conventional period products are made of 90% non-biodegradable plastic materials and each one of us uses about 11,000 tampons or pads in their lifetime. Multiply that by how many people menstruate in the world and we’ll leave you to do the waste math!
On top of that, conventional cotton, from which non-organic tampons are usually made of, is the most heavily pesticide and herbicide-treated crop. It’s a no-brainer to claim that pesticides don’t belong inside a vagina, any more than they belong in our food.
With all that scary (yet valuable) information, your conscience (resembling David Attenborough’s cadence) might tell you to ditch single-use period products I M M E D I A T E L Y - But hear us out.
What if I don’t like / my body can't adapt to reusable period products?
Mention of Baecups and Starcups might still have some people scratching their heads, while asking - just what the heck is that and can you chuck some alcohol in it and play a few rounds of Ring of Fire?
Even those a little more experienced, who know what a menstrual cup is, might still be perplexed attempting to insert the funnel-like shape into their vaginas. Many YouTube videos later and they still might not find the answers they’re craving.
If you’re one of the people whose bodily response to a menstrual cup is a big No-No, then, we say, there needs to be an alternative of a single-use period product that doesn’t suck. Period.
You might say ‘a menstrual cup is not the only reusable option out there’ - since a myriad of options are already available on the market: like reusable underwear or reusable pads. However, it’s important to note that they don’t work for every type of body, cervix, social or financial circumstance. Similarly, the need for these products to be sanitised after each use might also not work for people who don’t have easy access to these facilities. Sustainability without accessibility simply fails to accomplish its mission!
People may need or want to forgo reusable period products for a variety of reasons, so it's important not to shame anyone about the choices they make, especially when it's a topic as personal as periods.
What is the alternative? Is it sustainable?
Our company was born out of the idea that there had to be a better option of a single-use product that was better for the planet + people’s health. Simply put: we didn’t want people scrambling to find an option between the reusable period products they knew didn't work for them (for whatever reason), and conventional single-use products with all of their unsustainable aspects.
At FLO we work hard to change the current standard of single-use products while remaining accessible in a number of ways:
- Our sustainable period products and eco-friendly bladder care products are made of 100% organic cotton and bamboo and we strive to use either 100% compostable, biodegradable or recyclable materials.
- Very soon, the wrappers on all FLO & glo products will be plant-based and compostable.
- Our liners and our non-applicator tampons are 100% plastic-free, making them the most sustainable single-use products on the market - they're 100% compostable, from tampon/liner to wrapper.
- We always use FSC-certified, recyclable and biodegradable cardboard outer packaging.
- Our XO! eco friendly condoms are CO2-neutral and manufactured in a solar-powered factory.
- All of our products are vegan + cruelty-free, and certified by PETA and The Vegetarian Society
That’s it from the FLO Babes! We hope you’ll stick around to watch us make even more sustainable changes to our products in the future! And because we don't want you waiting around for too long, here's a sneak peek: Here We Flo is aiming to become fully CO2-neutral by the end of 2023!
