Traditionally, having your period has been extremely resource intensive. In fact, the average woman uses an average of over 11,000 disposable menstrual products in her reproductive lifetime – which costs her thousands of dollars and produces enough plastic to fill a car.
What’s more, the conversation around periods has always been furtive and often non-existent – there’s a social shame associated with menstruation, which makes it hard to talk about publicly. As recently as last year, period underwear brand AWWA had an ad banned on Facebook because it showed menstrual blood. AWWA was told that the ad’s content violates Facebook’s “shock and scare” policy, the same which stops ads depicting mutilation, torture and graphic medical procedures having a platform. It’s disappointing to still see periods made into something shameful, when they’re simply a fact of life for half the adult population.
But making your period greener – and opening up the conversation about sustainable menstrual products – is a way to lighten your load on the planet, save money and maybe even unlearn that internalised shame around your period. There are lots of sustainable period products available to Kiwis. Let’s take a look at some of the options on offer.
MENSTRUAL CUPS What is a menstrual cup?
A menstrual cup is a flexible cup made of rubber, silicone or
