{"id":132476,"date":"2019-08-11T21:08:45","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T01:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=132476"},"modified":"2019-08-12T12:50:01","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T16:50:01","slug":"the-period-plastic-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/it\/journal\/the-period-plastic-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The period plastic problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Since David Attenborough\u2019s Blue Planet II highlighted its devastating impact on our marine life, there\u2019s been a lot of talk about plastic. From the banning of plastic straws, to the widespread adoption of reusable bottles and coffee cups, we\u2019re slowly waking up to the problem with our plastic consumption.<\/p>\r\n

But while we\u2019re busy re-thinking plastic bags and buds, there\u2019s one serious single-use plastic offender that\u2019s received much less attention, and that\u2019s periods<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Let\u2019s talk trash\u2026<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Every year 100 billion periods products are thrown away globally, most of which are single-use and cannot be recycled. That\u2019s enough waste to circle our planet 250 times. While many of us might assume that the pads and tampons we rely on each month are made from pure, natural cotton, the reality is quite different. Major brands manufacture their period products from synthetic materials, often treated with harsh chemicals (like bleach, dyes, glues & fragrance). The average sanitary pad contains up to 90% plastic – the equivalent of 4 plastic bags. Then you\u2019ve got tampons. Most contain 5% plastic and that doesn\u2019t even include the applicator. In the UK alone we get through 1.3 billion single-use applicators every year, most of which are pure plastic. Even cardboard applicators are often coated in plastic and cannot be recycled.<\/p>\r\n

Given the average woman uses 12,000 disposable period products in her lifetime, that\u2019s a vast amount of plastic waste we\u2019re generating (not to mention the health risks of using plastic products in the most intimate, highly absorbent parts of our bodies). To make matters worse, many period products get flushed down the toilet. It\u2019s estimated that every day in the UK 700,000 pantyliners, 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million period pads go down British loos.<\/p>\r\n

And just like other forms of plastic waste, period products take hundreds of years to break down into smaller and smaller micro plastic pieces. These micro plastics then contaminate our water, poison marine life and eventually make their way into our food chain. Their impact spreads well beyond the bathroom.<\/p>\r\n

All this points towards the significance of the period plastic problem. But one question remains, why are we only just starting to talk about it?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The period taboo<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Women have been having periods since the start of time, yet major brands use the language of shame and discretion as if they\u2019re something to hide. Hands up who\u2019s ever stuffed a tampon up their sleeve on their dash to the bathroom?<\/p>\r\n

By being made to feel embarrassed about our periods, we\u2019ve been discouraged to talk openly about them and as a consequence, many of us default to the same product month on month without question. A lack of industry transparency doesn\u2019t help. Period brands aren\u2019t required to disclose their ingredients, leaving us in the dark about what we\u2019re really using. Without openness and information, how are we meant to realise the extent of the problem?<\/p>\r\n

The good news is that after centuries of being shrouded in shame and fear, the discourse around periods is slowly starting to change. 2015 was hailed the year of the period: a woman ran the London Marathon whilst free-bleeding; there was outrage when a photo of a woman with blood on her knickers was taken down twice by Instagram; and the tennis star Heather Watson talked publicly about how her period affected her game.<\/p>\r\n

Since then, periods have continued to move into the mainstream arena, and simultaneously the growing wellness movement has meant we\u2019re more aware than ever before of the products we\u2019re using on and in our bodies. This, combined with our growing environmental consciousness, means we\u2019re starting to demand more of our period product choices. According to Mintel, half of women are now concerned about the environmental impact of their period products (a 7 fold increase from 2016) and the impact of this is starting to be felt. Last year, #plasticfreeperiods trended on Twitter and various plastic-free period petitions have attracted over 100,000 signatures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Let\u2019s break the cycle\u2026<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So armed with this new information and awareness, what can we do to address the period plastic problem? Fortunately, innovation is popping up in the period space for the first time in decades. There is now an array of different sustainable products meaning women finally having growing choice. And let\u2019s face, given every body, and every period, is unique, this sense of choice is so crucial.<\/p>\r\n

Here\u2019s are some options to consider:<\/p>\r\n