From Stigma To Sustainability: India’s Quiet Period Revolution

Plastic-wrapped secrets. Whispered euphemisms. A trip to the pharmacy marked by quick hand gestures and lowered voices. My earliest memories of menstruation did not involve the colour red but blue. Sanitary pads soaked in mystery fluid on hushed television ads, folded covertly into glossy packaging that promised discretion above all else.

What was left unsaid? That every pad I had ever used would outlive me. Beyond the plastic lies something heavier: the stigma. Deep-rooted ideas of impurity have long supported cultural taboos and discrimination, keeping menstruation locked behind closed doors, soaked in shame and silence.

It wasn’t until 2019, when I worked with Eco Femme, a social enterprise in Auroville producing organic washable cloth pads, that the environmental truth hit me. A single sanitary pad takes 500 to 800 years to decompose, according to the Menstrual Health Alliance India. Multiply that by the 12.3 billion pads India discards each year, as reported by the World Bank, and you’re confronted with the actual scale of its planetary impact.

The Period Problem We Don’t Talk About

We’re in the midst of a climate crisis, yet menstrual health management remains stuck in a time warp of plastic-laden disposables and stigma. India is home to nearly 336 million menstruators, according to WaterAid India. Of them, only about a third use disposable sanitary products, most made with plastic and are environmentally damaging. The rest rely on unsafe, unhygienic materials like old rags, newspapers, or even sand.

Amidst the silence and stigma, however, a quiet revolution is underfoot. A new generation of menstruators is normalising conversations, opting for reusable products, and turning periods into acts of self-care and environmental responsibility.

Menstrual Cups: A Tiny Chalice of Change

When I first encountered a menstrual cup, I admit, I recoiled and shut the tab quickly. But, eventually, curiosity led me to befriend this tiny silicone marvel.

Menstrual cups are intimate, eco-friendly, and empowering. One cup can last up to ten years, saving hundreds of pads from landfills. Indian brands like Boondh, Stone Soup, and Sirona are demystifying cups through strong customer support, resources in regional languages, and affordable pricing.

Stone Soup’s menstrual cup, priced at ₹945, is available to purchase on their website, on Amazon, and on Flipkart. Rupal Ralph, co-founder of Stone Soup, shares, “A menstrual cup can save up to 16,000 pads from ending up in landfill. We started Stone Soup to make period care more conscious and compassionate. Our stemless cup is India’s first of its kind, designed for comfort and zero irritation.”

Stone Soup also conducts period education sessions in schools and rural areas, ensuring comfort and sustainability is paired with dignity and dialogue.

Cloth Pads: The Quiet Comeback

Cloth pads are enjoying a resurgence. Once dismissed as unhygienic, they are now central to the conscious menstruation movement. Washable, affordable (starting at ₹250), and durable, often lasting five years or more, they offer a sustainable alternative.

Eco Femme’s reusable pad folds like a handkerchief, providing discretion where stigma still lingers. Kathy Walkling, Eco Femme’s co-founder, reflects, “The first time I used a cloth pad, I immediately felt its power. It stopped waste generation and forced me to confront my aversion to menstrual blood. It brought me closer to myself.”

“There is still shame surrounding what happens to women’s bodies. This shame is reflected in how we treat the Earth. I hope people make the connection between valuing the feminine and valuing the planet,” she adds. 

Period Underwear: The Freedom to Forget

Imagine not remembering that you’re on your period. That’s the promise of period underwear: sleek, absorbent, and designed to stay functionally fresh for up to 12 hours.

Mahina, a pioneering Indian brand, offers period briefs starting at ₹999. According to Mahina’s team, “We weren’t just designing underwear. We were rethinking the entire period experience.” Their mission replaces shame and silence with comfort and confidence, working to expand retail access and ensure menstruators don’t have to choose between dignity and design.

Biodegradable Pads: Disposable, But Thoughtful

Not everyone is ready to give up disposables, and that’s okay. Biodegradable pads offer a thoughtful middle ground. Made from banana fibre, bamboo pulp, or cornstarch, they decompose in months. Brands like Saathi, Sparkle, and Carmesi offer biodegradable pads online and in select stores. While not perfect, they represent progress toward more conscious disposability.

Accessibility: The Real Test Of Impact

Sustainable period products are gaining traction, but accessibility remains a major challenge. Most brands retail primarily online or through niche wellness stores, limiting reach mostly to urban or digitally connected consumers. These products are yet to reach kirana stores, grocery stores, and pharmacies across the country. 

Price points for sustainable period products vary widely

• Cloth pads typically cost ₹200 to ₹400 each and last 3 to 5 years.
• Menstrual cups range from ₹500 to ₹1000 and can last up to ten years.
• Biodegradable pads cost ₹90 to ₹180 per pack.
• Period underwear ranges between ₹800 and ₹1800 for a pair.

Though the costs upfront are higher than conventional disposables, the long-term savings and environmental benefits make these products valuable investments. The bigger challenge is to ensure accessibility to all demographics and regions.

The Next Cycle

India’s period care landscape is shifting rapidly from stigma to sustainability, led by grassroots innovation, young menstruators, and conscious consumers. But this movement needs more than eco-friendly products. It requires honest dialogue, inclusive education, and scalable access.

We’ve moved far beyond whispering about periods in aisles and advertisements. Today’s menstruators are asking sharper questions about materials, disposal, health, and equity. They are choosing reusables, swapping shame for science, and carving out a fuller, freer experience of menstruation.

As someone who has witnessed this transformation both personally and professionally, I find this change inspiring. The future of period care in India won’t be written in plastic. It will be handwritten, washed, worn, and reimagined—cycle after cycle.

Also Read: 

What's The Gen Z Way To Live Sustainably?