The market for feminine hygiene products in India was worth INR 25.02 billion in 2018 and is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.92% between 2019 and 2024 to reach INR 58.62 billion. And yet, according to the most recent National Family Health Survey (2020-21), more than 30 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 24 do not use hygienic methods or products (locally prepared napkins, sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups) during their menstrual period.
A report by NGO Dasra and USAID also revealed that 23 million girls in India drop out of school annually due to a lack of proper menstrual health management (MHM) facilities. It was reported that the pandemic-induced lockdown further pushed marginalised communities to the brink, with several adolescent girls resorting to use dry leaves, rags and dirty or discarded cloth. Thus period poverty not only affects physical and psychological health and well-being but is an essential barrier to access education, participate in the workforce, and access sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in a dignified manner. Indeed it is a complex public health burden with severe socio-economic and environmental resonances.
ET SpecialIn fact, the environmental concern looms large. As Bhardwaj highlights, “To address period poverty in India, the Government of India, state governments, NGOs, community-based organisations, corporate entities came together. However, this has led to a new challenge – plastic pollution — as free sanitary pads are distributed extensively, from government stores to villages Panchayats to schools.”
The SheWings 2021 campaign #DonateOldBra&Panty strived to fill the gap in awareness about menstrual health management especially during the Covid-accelerated shadow pandemic of period poverty, while working towards accelerating access to environmentally-friendly period products. The campaign spread its wings to reach out to girls and women in rural and remote areas, including the Garhwal region, encouraging those who were reluctant to use undergarments owing to centuries-old cultural taboo, fear, and a lack of access, to adopt them to improve their intimate health and hygiene. The journey of SheWings is rooted in capitalising on the learnings and insights gained through SheWings Foundation — which started in 2014 as a social enterprise with an aim to dispel ignorance and raise awareness about the criticality of menstrual hygiene.
Climate action, gender equality, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices (WASH), are three of the 17 The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that outline the 2030 Agenda for fostering collective action towards people, planet and prosperity.
Here’s how SheWings is tapping into shifting consumer sentiments and fostering sustainable as well as safer menstrual health and hygiene practices.
EconomicTimes.com: Each woman generates around 120 kg of plastic waste during her menstruating years. In India alone, roughly 121 million women and girls use an average of eight disposable and non-compostable pads per month, generating 1.021 billion pads waste monthly, 12.3 billion pads waste annually, and 113, 000 metric tons of annual menstrual waste. Given these figures and given that you sell niche sustainable menstrual hygiene products, what are some of the initiatives that you have taken to implement sustainable menstrual wealth management and impact communities positively?
Madan Mohit Bhardwaj: Plastic plays a massive role in shaping the world we leave for future generations and in the environmental harms we’ve caused. Therefore, since the inception of SheWings Personal Care in 2019, which forayed into the untapped market of premium feminine hygiene products, we’ve been advocating for the use of plastic-free menstrual health and hygiene products. Each pad comes with a sanitary waste pouch for easier, more convenient and more responsible disposal and the packaging is biodegradable and 100 percent plastic-free.
One of our impactful campaigns was the #RedDot campaign in 2020. Through this initiative, SheWings raised awareness about waste generated by sanitary products. The campaign encouraged women to put a red dot on used sanitary pads before discarding them. The idea was to change the traditional sanitary waste disposal practices, where used sanitary pads are often packed in polythene bags and dumped into community waste disposal boxes. This unsegregated sanitary waste usually ends up in landfills. We sought to address this harmful practice and urged women and girls to at least use a piece of paper for disposal if they couldn’t find a suitable alternative to plastic. Today, a lot of municipal corporations and other stakeholders are considering implementing the concept of ‘third waste’, in addition to the present segregation of dry and wet waste. Our goal was also to empower ragpickers, who play a critical role in maintaining our environment’s cleanliness, by reducing their burden of segregating menstrual health waste and helping eliminate their risk of infection.
We must take responsibility as a nation. In my opinion, every consumer has the potential to be an environmental soldier by avoiding the use of plastic.
EconomicTimes.com: A 2018 study by UNICEF found that 70 per cent of Indian mothers believed menstruation was ‘dirty’. This attitude, passed on to adolescents, leads to perpetuation of myths, stigma, and shame manifesting in several taboo-ridden cultural practices barring adolescent girls to enter places of worship, cooking, and more. Consequently, it creates a vicious cycle right at the onset of menarche (the first occurrence of menstruation). Such a deeply ingrained culture of fear, censorship and shame surrounding female bodies and menstruation often transcends intersectional identities of caste, class and religion, with obvious physical and psychological repercussions. Given this context, how have you envisaged the menstrual health space for adolescents? How have you innovated through your products, while seeking to create a positive and more empowered experience for adolescent menstruators?
Madan Mohit Bhardwaj: When we consider the broader perspective, a 12-year-old girl rarely uses the same face cream or shampoo as a 45 or 50-year-woman. Similarly, when it comes to periods, most adolescent girls experience variations in duration, blood flow, and patterns that differ from older women. Adolescent girls are more likely to have sensitive skin and moreover their psychological and emotional relationship with menstruation is likely to differ from women who have been menstruating for a significant period of time. Therefore, our products, which take all of these factors into account, are tailored to meet the specific requirements and behavioural patterns during the five days of their monthly cycle.
Unfortunately, there was no brand in the country, which responded to this need. Our extensive research familiarised us with the problems of women across different age groups, and we realised that there was a gap in the market for adolescent menstrual health and hygiene products customised for their body, skin, and preferences. The core issue is that most disposable mass-market brand sanitary napkins use PP, which is essentially plastic or polymer. (Typically, a sanitary pad is composed of a topsheet, which is a polyethylene/polypropylene non-woven fabric bearing an emollient finish, the core, and a backsheet.)
Owing to the harmful and hazardous nature of plastic, the top sheet in SheWings sanitary pads is 100 percent viscose (cotton). So, any part of the vaginal skin that comes into contact with the topsheet, it’s essentially touching a non-plastic viscose material. Furthermore, we have diligently worked towards product efficacy, addressing critical concerns of leakage and wetness. The cotton we use is 100 percent coarse, while the top layer undergoes hydro entanglement preventing leakage and wetness. We also use fine-quality glue while assembling, ensuring that there are no harsh chemicals involved.
Returning to the issue of shame and fear, yes, there is a lot of fear among adolescent girls regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene products. By being user-friendly for minors, we believe that our products instil confidence among adolescent menstruators. As part of our awareness campaign, we urge adolescent girls to keep changing their sanitary pads every four to five hours.
Additionally, through these sanitary pads SheWings offers a sustainable solution for daughters, mothers and Mother Earth.
EconomicTimes.com: What are your thoughts on the shifts in how consumers prefer to buy menstrual hygiene products today? What’s next for you?
Madan Mohit Bhardwaj: I would say that today’s consumer is smarter, more aware, and well-informed. When they buy a moisturiser, face cream or face wash, they think several times before purchasing the product. They spend time studying the ingredients and so on. My only question is: Why not invest the same time and discretion while selecting a sanitary pad, a product meant for your private parts. This is an area which demands more awareness.
Looking to the future, we would be launching our range of premium pantyliners this year in November; and a premium cosmetics range for teenagers, especially serving their needs and taste. By doing so, we would become India’s first homegrown brand to create this category of products for today’s teenagers.
A pack of 12 minor-friendly SheWings sanitary pads comes for Rs 299; while a pack of 30 comes for Rs 699.
