Let's all choose plastic free when it comes to our periods!
We’re Crowdfunding just now to raise the awareness of the importance of choosing plastic free periods products. Please head over and check out our campaign and choose a perk to support the future of Plastic Free.
THE PROBLEM:
Market leading period products have copious amounts of plastics in them, a recently commissioned study indicates each pack of period products could contain as much as five plastic bags equivalent of plastic.
Period products; with the exception of tampons, fall into a category of medically exempt products per FDA definition, which means that manufacturers of these products self-police and do not publish ingredients of the products on their packaging.
Despite heavy scrutiny, tampons are made from synthetic materials and natural cotton, which is heavily sprayed with pesticides such as Aldicarb in the USA.
The adverse impact of plastic used in intimate feminine care products to women's health is well researched but not widely publicised. Short term impacts include very painful periods, bloating and severe acne; in the medium women's fertility is impacted and long term estrogenic feminine cancers such as breast and ovarian cancer could be an outcome. All of this is linked to an imbalance of female hormone oestrogen as a result of using plastic made period products. *
Even longer term, oestrogen imbalances can impact a female foetus and make her predisposed to deeply infiltrative endometriosis, the most debilitating form of a chronic illness that impacts 1 in 10 women in the US & UK. **
The environmental impact of any disposed products is also devastating. Each period product will remain polluting our land and oceans for over 800 years, before some form of degradation occurs.
This means that of samples taken from tap water in 9 of the world’s most developed countries including the USA and UK show that there are micro-plastic particles in it, which means we are slowly infusing ourselves with plastic.
Worse still, there is now enough plastic in the ocean that the condensation process is also impacted – so now its also raining plastic.
Plastics are a by-product of petroleum distillation. By its very nature, this process is unsustainable.
THE SOLUTION:
The most sustainable solution would be to use fig leaves. But that would make wearing pale skirts or undertaking any kind of strenuous activity virtually impossible during one’s period. The next best alternative is the reusable category of period products.
At LUX – we’ve made it our mission to create soft, organic and eco-friendly period products that perform. We’ve created a product range that is made from premium quality organic material which is reusable for up to three years. When women part ways with their underwear, as a result of it being fully biodegradable whether it finds itself in a landfill or in the ocean, the product will break down within a 12 months to a 5 years window.
Made from premium grade organic cotton, the undies are offered in three styles of period thong, Bikini Style and High waisted and six sizes from XS to XXL, these undies can be confidently used as a substitute for your existing period products.
Check out the full range of period undies here: www.luxstore.net/collections/underwear
THE SOCIAL AGENDA:
As an eco brand we stand against climate change and in support of period equity. We endeavour to stop climate change with being affiliated with grass root plastic influencers and with larger charitable entities such as Plastic Pollution Coalition (USA) and City to Sea (UK). But also, in the way they limit the use of single use plastic in their products, in their supply chain and in their offices.
For every product sold we plant a tree through TREE-NATION. These trees are planted in the geographies where our eco-friendly products are sold.
In support of period equity, we intend to donate a portion of all of our period products sold, to food banks where women who have been rendered homeless, and may have access to them.
We’re Crowdfunding just now to raise the awareness of the importance of choosing plastic free periods products. Please head over and check out our campaign and choose a perk to support the future of Plastic Free.
References:
*Plastics in Period products: associated publications:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3948026/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6504186/
**Warning: disturbing content
https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc5027925