Eco-friendly reusable menstrual pad with the text "Ladies Without Plastic" - Sustainable Menstruation
Ladies Without Plastic: Eco-friendly, Reusable Menstrual Products
Hello! My name is Sofonie Dala. I am the founder of Ladies Without Plastic and a proud Chevening Scholar pursuing my MSc in Environmental Sustainability Education and Communication at the University of York.
I am a woman, and I menstruate. There’s no shame in that. But for millions of women and girls worldwide, managing menstruation is a monthly struggle. Did you know that over 50% of the global population menstruates, yet conversations about menstrual health remain taboo? In Angola and many other countries, period poverty forces women and girls to miss school or work because they cannot afford sanitary products or access basic facilities.
Did you know that the little strip of plastic on the back of a disposable pad is non-biodegradable and consumes vast amounts of fossil fuel to produce? Across a lifetime, the average menstruator in the UK uses over 11,000 disposable products—enough waste to fill a bus for just one person! Globally, disposable pads, made of up to 90% plastic, take centuries to decompose. Every year, these products generate over 200,000 tons of waste and release greenhouse gases equivalent to burning 35 million barrels of oil.
Ladies Without Plastic offers a better alternative. Our reusable menstrual pads are eco-friendly, cost-effective, and life-changing. These pads not only reduce waste but also feature written educational messages, encouraging women to read, learn, and engage. By integrating education into sustainable menstrual products, we empower women with knowledge, reduce period poverty, and inspire behavior change.
Did you know many women in Europe have used plastic-based menstrual products their entire lives, unaware of the environmental impact?
Can Menstruation Harm the Environment?
No.
Menstruation itself is a natural biological process, but the products we use for menstrual hygiene can have a significant environmental impact. The widespread use of disposable products like sanitary pads and tampons—often made from non-recyclable, non-biodegradable materials—poses a serious environmental threat. These items end up in landfills and pollute waterways, releasing harmful microplastics and contributing to a growing health and environmental crisis. The true damage lies not in the process of menstruation, but in the waste we create.
This initiative aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 for health, SDG 4 for quality education, SDG 5 for gender equality, SDG 12 for responsible consumption, and SDG 13 for climate action.