We all know that we should be cutting down how much plastic we use - and switching your period products could be a simple way of making an effective change.
Period products company Organic Mondays is here to help, with their perfume-free, plastic-free products made out of organic cotton.
Considering some period products can contain up to 90% of plastic, it makes for a breath of fresh air for the eco-conscious.
Not to mention that there could be other benefits - some doctors have linked period products containing plastic to the likes of thrush, infections and allergies.
Then there's the fact that plastic takes a very long time to biodegrade (if ever) and tends to make its way into the sea, threatening sea life with extinction.
If you still aren’t convinced that plastic-free period products are better, here’s why you need to make the switch…
Help save animals from extinction
Plastic has been found everywhere in the world’s oceans. From the Pacific to the Mariana Trench. It’s also been found in the guts of sea creatures like sea birds, turtles and whales and to these creatures, it’s toxic and threatens their extinction.
Menstrual products are the 5th most commonly found single-use plastic found on European beaches, so if everyone switched to non-plastic alternatives, it could make a big difference.
Switching to plastic-free period products can be an easy way to start.
Dangerous fuels are burnt to create plastic
Almost all plastics are created from burning fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil. These are planet-warming fuels that contribute to global warming.
What’s more, burning plastics to try and destroy them also releases climate-wrecking gases and toxic air pollution into the air. So, plastic is all-in-all bad for the environment when it enters the world as well as when it leaves.
Period plastics could cause thrush, infection and allergies
The vulva is one of the most absorbent areas of the body, and having plastics around it every month has been recognised by doctors to cause thrush, infections and allergies.
Period products containing plastics have also been found to contain carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It sounds scary, and something we’d rather steer clear of!
Regular sanitary pads can contain up to 90% plastic, and it's often hard to detect. They’re sometimes bleached white, highly processed and don’t really look or feel like plastic. The products bought from Organic Mondays, however, are plastic-free, which is a breath of fresh air.
Most plastics last forever
The more plastic period products you buy, the more you’re supplying the demand for there to be more produced. This cycle doesn’t end well because plastics can survive some of the harshest conditions, such as the frozen arctic and blistering sunshine. This means that more and more plastic will build up causing problems for wildlife.
You can find out more and check out plastic-free period products on the Organic Mondays website.
