Eco Femme is a women-led social enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India, that produces organic washable cloth pads.[1][2] Eco Femme was founded in 2009 in Auroville (a UNESCO-backed coming-up city)[3][4] by Kathy Walkling and Jessamijn Miedema who started by producing, applying and selling these washable menstrual pads in Auroville.[4][5] The aim was to produce pads that are both affordable and free of plastic.[6] They were also interested in designing a sustainable alternative to disposable pads for the women of India as well as setting up self sustaining initiatives in cloth pad production for women from the neighbouring villages.[4][5] All commercially sold pads are organically certified under GOTS[7] and Eco Femme is the first in this space to have achieved this certification.[8] The cloth pads are mostly made out of organic cotton[9][10] and can last up to 75 washes[8] or for three to five years from the time of purchasing.[11] These pads are sold in more than 20 countries across the world.[7] By 2022, Eco Femme has distributed over 1 million cloth pads which consequently saved more than 75 million single use disposable pads from reaching landfills.[7][12][8]

Eco Femme enables women and girls to make educated decisions about their menstrual health in India and around the world by creating a dialogue around menstruation and offering education in menstrual literacy.[13][14] They run two initiatives to enable free or affordable access to cloth pads. These include ‘Pad for Pad’ which provides an Indian adolescent girl with a free cloth pad kit for every pad sold internationally.[11][15] Their "Pads for Sisters" programme provides subsidised pads to economically disadvantaged women[11] Eco Femme has different partners across India, including 80 NGOs and 150 retailers.[12]

Eco Femme has been recognised for these efforts by different institutions.[16] It aims to encourage ecological and social transformation by revitalising menstrual practices that are empowering, ecologically sustainable, culturally sensitive and healthy for the user.[17] Eco Femme has also conducted training programs on how to stitch cloth pads to support income generation and local livelihood for rural women.[18][15] It also creates instructional materials, teaches facilitators, provides consulting services, and uses writing, filmmaking, and public speaking to advocate for non-polluting menstruation practises.[19]

Reception

The Huffington Post listed Eco Femme as one of the “15 Indian Businesses That Deserve Your Custom For Promoting Sustainability".[20] It has also been named as one of the “5 Social Impact Startups Revolutionising Feminine Care Across Asia” by the Green Queen.[21] A report by the IMARC Group hailed Eco Femme as one of the key players in the market for Indian Reusable Sanitary Napkin.[22] It won crQlr’s Menstruation Sustainability Prize in 2022 for being a ‘pioneer in menstrual education in India’ [8] and ‘enabling women and girls to make informed decisions about their menstrual health through their non-profit programs’.[8] Eco Femme also won the Restore Awards in 2022 for their health products.[23]

Eco Femme in Media

Eco Femme has been featured on different podcasts,[24][25] where they have discussed their mission to provide sustainable menstrual products and education to women in India and beyond.[25]

References

  1. ↑ Dutt, Bahar (9 October 2014). "Three grassroots projects that Modi's Clean India campaign can learn from". Quartz. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  2. ↑ "8 Low Cost And Eco Friendly Ideas Which Have Revolutionized Women's Sanitary Hygiene In India". The Better India. 2014-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  3. ↑ "Statements of Support - UNESCO | Auroville". auroville.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Sreedharan, Divya (2012-10-13). "The Changemakers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  5. 1 2 "How Eco Femme began making cloth pads cool again from a village near Pondicherry". Edex Live. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  6. ↑ "The Goan Village Women Helping Mitigate Plastic Pollution by Making Eco-friendly Sanitary Pads". Inter Press Service. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  7. 1 2 3 www.twinkl.co.in https://www.twinkl.co.in/blog/menstrual-hygiene-day-period-charities-making-a-difference-in-india. Retrieved 2022-08-28. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Organic Reusable Cloth Pads for Circular Economy and Access to Sustainable Menstruation for All | Winners | crQlr 2022". crqlr.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  9. ↑ "The best eco-friendly sanitary brands worth trying now | Vogue Singapore | Beauty, Body, Wellness". Vogue Singapore. 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  10. ↑ "Our Favourite Eco-Friendly Menstrual Products". Good On You. 2020-02-23. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. 1 2 3 "Eco Femme: Impacting Health, Sustainability and Women Empowerment with a Simple Product". Global Innovation Path. 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  12. 1 2 Chaudhry, Avani (2022-09-15). "Sustainable Menstruation: A Personal, Step-By-Step Guide To Making DIY Cloth Pads". Feminism in India. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  13. ↑ Gerald, Olympia Shilpa (2014-05-29). "Breaking myths and taboos". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  14. ↑ "Five First Steps To Take To Lead A Sustainable Lifestyle". femina.in. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  15. 1 2 "4 Organizations Supporting BIWOC". MOUJAMOON. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  16. ↑ "SRM University presented Women Pacesetter Awards". Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  17. ↑ "Interview with Ecofemme, India based women-led social enterprise – Pacific Roots Magazine". Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  18. ↑ "Kigwema women train in making sanitary pads, pickle - Eastern Mirror". easternmirrornagaland.com. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  19. ↑ "Good Market". www.goodmarket.global. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  20. ↑ "15 Indian Businesses That Deserve Your Custom For Promoting Sustainability". HuffPost. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  21. ↑ "5 Social Impact Startups Revolutionising Feminine Care Across Asia". Green Queen. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  22. ↑ "List of Internet Providers". isp.today. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  23. ↑ "The Restore Awards 2022 Winners". RachnaRestores™️. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  24. ↑ Cycles, Connection to the Body and the Earth with Kathy Walkling, retrieved 2023-04-10
  25. 1 2 A safe space & a sustainable period w/ EcoFemme, 2023-03-08, retrieved 2023-04-10
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