Eco Femme Subsidized Pads

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$1.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

They have partners in 17 states and 2 Union territories of India. (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Pondicherry (UT))

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include EcoSmart Pads, AFRIpads Menstrual Kit, Be Girl FlexiPads, Saathi Pads, MakaPads Sanitary Pads, and Lunapads.

Manufacturing/Building Method

Reusable menstrual cloth pads are simple to stitch and can be stitched by any rural woman with a sewing machine and basic tailoring skills. Production for Eco Femme (stitching of pads) takes place in five units: AVAG (Auroville related NGO), Cocoon (Auroville related women’s production unit), Blossoms (Auroville unit), Ektha (a Bangalore based women’s producer company) and Clothing Connections (Kiruba unit). All five units ensure fair wages and safe working environments to the women employed there.

Intellectural Property Type

Open-source

User Provision Model

Eco Femme pads can be bought online (from their website) as well as from many brick stores in India and abroad. The pads can be sponsored or gifted to economically disadvantaged girls and women in India via their Pads For Sisters and Pad for Pad program. They can also be purchased by these women themselves at a subsidized rate, usually mediated by a third party (NGO).^{Interview with the designer}

Distributions to Date Status

Between launching the program in 2013 and March 2020 Eco Femme has provided over 100,000 pads to low income beneficiaries under Pads for Sister program and sponsored 175,000 free pads to adolescent girls under the Pad for Pad program. Interview with the designer

Design Specifications

Eco Femme are made of organic cotton. Top of the pad : soft flannel cotton Inside of the pad :  ultra-absorbent cotton flannel Back of the pad :  PUL (polyurethane laminate) leakproof layer

Product Schematics

Technical Support

Provided by manufacturerOnce the usable life is over, the flannel layers can be composted, and the snap buttons and PUL layer removed as mixed waste.

Replacement Components

N/A, Single-use product

Lifecycle

Eco Femme states that their products can last for 5 years, as the washable cloth pads have a leakproof layer of PUL (polyurethane laminate) which will last for approximately 75 washes. Once the usable life is over, the flannel layers can be composted, and the snap buttons and PUL layer removed as mixed waste.^{Interview with designer}

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Eco Femme aims to produce products and practices that are healthy, dignified, affordable and eco-positive. They have set a target of providing 32000 pads to low income beneficiaries under Pads for sister program for 2020-2021.^{Interview with designer}

Vetted Performance Status

Unknown

Safety

Pads must be washed properly in cold water and dried in the sunlight. Improper cleaning of the pads between uses could result in the pads carrying pathogens which could have detrimental health effects, effectively posing a similar risk as the use of traditional reusable cloth napkins made from old saris etc.^{Interview with designer}

Complementary Technical Systems

Pull your wet pad into shape to prevent shrinkage before drying it on the washing line in full sunlight for best results or tumble dry on low heat. ^{Interview with designer}

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

None

Evaluation methods

Eco Femme conducted product testing with over 850 women and girls in rural India and reports that their product range found acceptance and appeal among a wide range of women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Eco Femme made product revisions based on the insights gained from this product testing and the most popular models are now available for distribution.

Other Information

The pads are made from hypoallergenic cotton to promote healthy skin.