Women should never feel bad for their period and the waste it produces. However, there is a lot of waste produced from feminine products, about 250 to 300 pounds of “pads, plugs, and applicators” in one woman’s lifetime, to be exact. It impacts our environment, which is why some brands have emerged to combat the issue.
The original appeal of organic tampons was that they would be better for your body while regular toxins are said to contain dangerous toxins. The debate still continues on whether or not organic tampons actually work better for you, but we do know that they are immensely better for the environment.
The most notable improvement with organic tampons is its lack of plastic. A majority of organic tampon brands come without a plastic applicator. A group of women in New Zealand looking to create women-friendly and eco-friendly tampons, pads and panty liners established Oi or Organic Initiative. It gives the option of either a box with no applicator or a box including biodegradable applicators, making each free of plastic while still making it easy to use. Oi uses plant starches as wrappers, prints with vegetable dyes on its recyclable boxes and the prices aren’t bad.
Brands like Oi prove that it is possible to step away from plastic applicators and make feminine hygiene products sustainable. But, even with the removal of plastic, there’s still the issue of dioxins.
Dioxins are persistent organic pollutants, which means that once they are exposed to the world, they don’t intend on leaving it. Dioxins stay in the air like any other pollutant and take an incredibly long time to break down fully.
Organic tampons, however, are free of such toxins because they don’t go through unnatural dying or bleaching processes. They are pure cotton. Sure they’re not as white as regular tampons. But, the real question is: why are they bleached? They don’t stay white for long.
Dioxins are by-products of the chlorine-bleaching process done on a various paper materials like toilet paper, coffee filters and, yes, tampons and pads. Even boxes of tampons and pads that say “dioxin free” may contain traces of it if it’s not from an organic brand. Exposure to dioxins can lead to cancer and immune issues and is also connected to birth defects, poor reproductive health and hormonal issues. While there is no proof or substantial research of a dioxin-filled tampon’s effect on the body, they don’t help the environment.
The price of in-store organic tampons are generally slightly or much more expensive than the already costly non-organic tampons, so it’s clearly unreasonable to expect all women to make the transition to eco-friendly alternatives. The transition needs to begin with a national initiative to normalize biodegradable products, rather than plastic. Thus, environmentally conscious materials would become the only option.
If you’ve ever been curious about organic tampons, do your body and environment a favor, and give it a try.