I recently attended a well-researched and informative presentation, by Anju Bist the Ashram lead on the Saukhyam Reusable Menstrual Pads project; which was both inspiring and upsetting.
This inspiring project which is delivered with Amma’s loving guidance is one of many to support the 108 villages Amma is helping in India. It empowers women who otherwise have limited means to help their villages, families, and ultimately themselves.
The pads; made by local women, contain cotton and the absorbent material is banana fibre; an agricultural waste material. India produces over 64 million tons of banana stem waste a year; so by utilising this (free) waste product Mother Nature is given back to directly; which is inspiring.
The absorbent materials of disposable sanitary items contain rayon, a product from trees and cotton. At a time when Amma is encouraging everyone to plant trees the world desperately needs; using one-time-use sanitary towels is upsetting and wasteful for our planet. In the UK, sanitary waste accounts for 200 thousand tons, and the plastic of sanitary products e.g. Tampax applicators, make up a fifth of the most common items found on European beaches. Sanitary pads contain up to 90% plastic; the equivalent of 4 plastic bags. 11,000 sanitary products are used during a menstrual lifetime. So, although we are using reusable shopping bags the use of disposable sanitary items means approx. 44,000 plastic bags are being thrown away! This doesn’t even consider the impact of the bleaching chemicals, cotton, boxes, and plastic wrappings that are also used to make sanitary products. The waste and result it has on our planet is very upsetting.
The excellent and most inspiring news is that we can stop contributing to all this now. The Saukhyam pads are easy to use, come in various packs, sizes, are available in funky colours, and include a purse to carry them in. They wash easily, dry quickly, and can last for at least 3–5 years or more, thereby saving money, trees, and seas whilst helping and supporting villages in India.
If you have questions please email pads@macentre.org and to view or order the pads for yourself or others please visit https://www.amma.org.uk/saukhyam-pads.html
-The article is written by a volunteer of Amma UK
