By using reusable menstrual pads, not only are you making an environmentally friendly choice, but you are also choosing a natural product that is kind your body, and in the long term costs much less than the monthly outlay of disposable products. Eco Femme are a social enterprise based in Auroville in Tamil Nadu, India. Each pad includes the Pad for Pad Programme Contribution, which means that when you buy a pad for yourself, it pays for a pad to be gifted to a girl in India.

Choosing to use reusable cloth pads or other environmentally friendly menstrual products (such as menstrual cups, sponges, or knickers) is part of a bigger revolutionary act.

Most of the "conventional" menstrual products, pads and tampons available in the majority of shops contain a high proportion of plastic (90% of pads and 6% of tampons) as well as chemicals that are harmful to the planet and to your beautiful body. A box of 'sanitary towels' contains the equivalent of plastic that is in five plastic carrier bags, and takes 500 - 800 years to decompose, either in landfill or ending up in our rivers and seas. Even when decomposed, micro-plastics are still present which can harmful to animals.

If you have the privilege to be able to choose what you use, it is vital that we as women choose to use products that do not turn the blood of life into a toxic bio-hazard.

Choosing natural menstrual products also changes the relationship you have with your blood. The blood can repurposed to feed and nourish life, using it to water plants in your home and garden (use the blood water from soaking your pads/knickers/sponge). Connecting to your menstrual cycle and the blood can also change the way you bleed, for instance, often women experience less cramps as a result of changing to a natural menstrual product.

Further information:
EcoFemme Cloth Pads – https://ecofemme.org
Women's Environmental Network Environmenstrual – www.wen.org.uk
City to Sea Plastic Free Periods – www.citytosea.org.uk
Stop Ecocide Campaign – www.stopecocide.earth