Biodegradable menstrual cloth pad

Girls in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh, lack MHH products, privacy, access to water and sanitation, and disposal facilities. Over 80% of Bangladeshi Women and girls use old cloths to manage their menstruation, however, only 3% maintain proper hygiene (washing/drying/storage). In alignment with their familiarity, we aim to design a cloth pad with a biodegradable barrier sheet made from jute-cellulose. We will collaborate with ELLA (Eco-friendly Low-cost Liquid Absorbent) Pad [1] and develop a menarche kit, for young girls who recently experienced their first menstruation, including  cloth pad, washer and dryer technology, jute-cellulose based biodegradable disposable pad, underwear, menstrual tracking calendar, and an information booklet for to prepare young girls and caregivers for proper MHH. If scaled globally, this will provide 100% biodegradable and low-cost solution for MHH and to prepare girls managing their menarche in a dignified way.

[1] See details: https://ellapad.org/.

At least 500 million women and girls globally lack adequate facilities
for menstrual health and hygiene (MHH)

Menstruation is a taboo that affects 54 million menstruating women and girls in Bangladesh. Parents and teachers are reluctant to discuss issues related to menstruation with their daughters. Bangladeshi girls reach menarche at around 12 years of age, when they are in Grade 5. The delayed school curriculum, with information provided in grade 8, is a lost opportunity to prepare girls for menarche. Additionally, commercially available disposable pads are expensive and non-biodegradable that contains some amount of plastic in all three layers. Inadequate disposal of commercially manufactured pads leading to toilet clogging in the short term and environmental contamination of blood and plastic that adds to the already burdened plastic pollution globally.

  Our innovation is targeted to combat menstruation related stigma and improve MHH by providing biodegradable cloth pad that can be discretely disposed without harming the environment, and a menarche kit to prepare young girls managing their first menstruation with dignity. Our plan to collaborate with Ella Pad will also ensure Good Jobs & Inclusive Entrepreneurship for the marginalized women working in ready made garments sector in Bangladesh.

Rather shifting over 80% of Bangladeshi women and girls  into an environment unfriendly and high-cost method, we will design a cloth pad with a plastic alternative derived from jute cellulose [1].

 We will collaborate with ELLA Pad, already developed a business model of making low-cost  cloth pads, and use discarded cotton fabric from ready-made garment (RMG) factories and use this plastic alternative to prevent staining and leakage. 

Jute cellulose is prepared by cleaning and properly drying jute fibre, cut into small pieces and then grind into powder form using a grinder. Jute powder is cooked (95 ºC) in water with 0.5 M NaOH for two hours at continuous stirring. The dark slurry obtained is filtered and washed with clean water and neutralized by acid. The residue is dried in an oven at 60 ºC overnight for constant weight.

We will develop a menarche kit consist of cloth pad + washer and dryer technology (developed under GCC (R-ST-POC-1808-16487) funding) + jute-cellulose based sanitary pads (developed underIsDB (BGD1052) funding) + underwear + menstrual tracking calendar (developed under BMGF (OPP1140650) funding) + a booklet  to support managing menarche without fear and to begin a healthy menstrual journey.

[1] See details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonali_Bag.

We will pilot test the innovated cloth pad among 200 women working in the RMG factory for 6 months to explore acceptability, feasibility and comfort. However, the solution eventually serves 54 million menstruating women and girls in Bangladesh, and potentially all menstruating women and girls globally. There is a recent global trend among women to explore sustainable options for MHH. We will catalyze findings with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to explore the scalability of the innovation in global market. 

 The use of old cloth by over 80% of Bangladeshi women and girls is not a problem unless it is unhygienic or stains. Thus, proper maintenance (e.g. washing with soap and water, drying under sun, and storing in a safe place) is important. 

 Around 90% of women and girls of in Dhaka slums wash their menstrual cloth with water only and dry them in hidden, dark, damp and unhygienic places which may contribute to reproductive (18%) and urinary tract infections (17%) in Bangladesh. The proposed cloth pad does not require shifting those using disposable pads, and will prevent leakage by using biodegradable barrier sheet. Additionally,  the menarche kit will facilitate maintenance using washer and dryer technology.

Collaboration with ELLA Pad closely aligns with the challenge. Ella Pad includes 1) Society of ELLA Association to support the underprivileged women setting up their own enterprises, and 2) ELLA Alliance ensures smooth operation of Ella Pad production, distributions and proper MHH among RMG workers.

  These women will manufacture the proposed cloth pad which will enable small and new businesses by creating good jobs in Bangladesh through access to networks, and technology. Additionally, the menarche kit will help preparing young girls to manage their first menstruation with dignity, and reduce the experiences of fear, stigma and stained clothing.

There have been many programs targeting improved MHH that typically promote disposable pads as superior absorbents. There are some alternative options including  expanding the market share of existing cloth pad companies (e.g. AFRIPADS) and biodegradable pads (e.g. jute-based pads or sathi pads). However, these often do not fully prevent leakage and/or not 100% biodegradable as they use plastic as a barrier sheet to prevent leakage. 

In Bangladesh also most MHH programs focus narrowly on promoting the use of “modern” disposable pads but fail to acknowledge women's preferences.The classic barrier of using disposable sanitary pads includes non-biodegradability, cost, and limited availability at local level. The majority of the raw materials required to manufacture disposable sanitary pads are imported with 37% to 58% duty taxes which increase the manufacturing cost by two folds.  The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is unwilling to reduce the duty taxes on the important raw product as  discarded menstrual hygiene products contribute to thousands of tons of waste each year.

 Our innovation is an environment friendly alternative to the traditional cotton cloth pad that is biodegradable. The use of jute-cellulose based barrier sheet to prevent leakage is natural and has the ability to dissolve in water in seconds to months depending on its chemical modification. Our innovation is expected to be well accepted by the government and the women and girls due to its affordability, reusability, low-cost, no environmental impact and preparing girls for a hygienic menstrual life that involves proper knowledge and involve caregivers.

The cloth pad will be made from discarded cotton fabric from ready-made garment factories and provide a jute-cellulose based biodegradable barrier sheet  to prevent staining and leakage.  Jute cellulose is prepared by cleaning and properly drying jute fibre, cut into small pieces and then grind into powder form using a grinder. Jute powder is cooked (95 ºC) in water with 0.5 M NaOH for two hours at continuous stirring. The dark slurry obtained is filtered and washed with clean water and neutralized by acid. The residue is dried in an oven at 60 ºC overnight for constant weight.

We already developed a low-cost (US$ 0.75) reusable cloth pad under BMGF (OPP1140650 ) funding [1] and pilot tested among the urban and rural schoolgirls in Bangladesh.  This cloth pad is made with a piece of soft and thin flannel cloth and girls fold it to use as menstrual absorbent. The length becomes 24cm and the width is 7.5cm after folding.

 Schoolgirls used the cloth pad during stay at home (PD: 34; SD: 29, 39) and outside home (PD: 27; SD: 23, 32), and there was a significant increase in the recommended behaviors of drying reusable menstrual materials under sunlight [PD: 38%, CI: 29, 47]. They reported that the cloth pad we provided was comfortable, did not stain, soft, environment friendly and reusable.  Additionally, missing school during the last menstrual period decreased [PD: -8%, CI: -2, -14] at endline. “Discomfort” during menstruation was the reason for missing school during menstruation that decreased [PD: -10%, CI: -23, 2] at endline. 

Furthermore, our plan to develop a customized cloth pad with collaboration of ELLA Pad’s model will demonstrate a possible solution: a low-cost sanitary napkin made of garment waste with jute-cellulose based biodegradable barrier sheet. The provision of these pads will drastically change the lives of women working in factories.

 Additionally, the menarche kit will include pilot tested materials (e.g., washer and dryer technology which was acceptable among women and girls in urban slums in Dhaka, and jute-cellulose based disposable sanitary pad).

[1] See details: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/grant/piloting-menstrual-hygiene-management-interventions-among-urban-and-rural-schools-bangladesh.

Menstruation is a taboo in most countries but has a graver health and social impact for resource-poor girls and women where lack of access to clean water, privacy, hygienic and appropriate materials, and proper knowledge often stand a barrier from attaining optimal menstrual health practices. The current practice of national and international organizations to improve MHH are to provide the girls and women with commercially available disposable sanitary pads, which are expensive for low-income population and harmful for the environment as the materials used to make the pads are plastic and accumulate in the landfills for up to 800 years.

 Furthermore, Bangladeshi women use cloth to manage menstruation. Scientifically the use of cloth is not a problem, however, stigma and lack of facilities make it difficult to wash, dry and store them hygienically for reuse.

 Our theory of change is that the use of cloth, contrary to the common claim, is a healthy and hygienic method for MHH  provided that these clothes are properly washed with soap and water (or using the washer bag [1]), dried well under direct sunlight or in open space (or using the dryer bag4), and stored in a clean place. Menstruation-related stigma and misinformation is a major cause of improper MHH management. We aim to provide the young girls with information regarding menstruation, provide them an option of choosing cloth pads with a barrier sheet that their caregivers are most-likely familiar with and/or jute-cellulose based biodegradable disposable pad, washer and dryer bags, underwear, and menstrual tracking calendar (pilot tested among the schoolgirls along with the reusable cloth pad) to understand their individual menstrual cycle and to manage their menstruation properly. 

We plan to employ low-income women to collect discarded cloths from garments to make the menstrual pads, which will provide them with a source of income and reduce the waste burden from garments into the environment. The barrier sheet will be made from locally available jute-cellulose based materials that will be affordable and acceptable for larger population.

[1] Listen more of BBC Health Check report (from 10:14 to 17:58 minutes): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csy9l4?fbclid=IwAR3xmKnjoK531QK_mjCf_yQbHRgpPaROyweXdnA6rc6fhph2Ud8m1WGHEJs.

We will produce 500 menarche kits containing two cloth pads, one washer and dryer bags and five pieces of jute-cellulose based biodegradable disposable pads, one menstrual tracking calendar, one underwear, and an information leaflet depicting messages on how to use and maintain the menarche kit. We will pilot the cloth pads and this kit among 200 women in the RMG sector for a 6 month period of time, and conduct baseline and endline assessments to explore the acceptability, feasibility and comfort.

 With a developed business model and collaboration with ELLA Pad, we believe that in one year, we will be able to include this kit with the school curriculum and in five years, reach a potential 54 million menstruating women and girls in Bangladesh and can be exported internationally. We expect that due to its environmental friendliness and sustainability in menstrual management, other countries will be interested to adopt this product as part of school based menstrual hygiene management programs.

Development phase: Our plan is to develop a cloth pad with biodegradable leakage barrier, and a menarche kit toprepare yooung girls managing their first experience of menstrution in a dignified and comfortable way. Therefore, we will collaborate with ELLA Pad and include marginalized women from the RMG sector to develop this solution. The development phase will require at least 3 months.

Pilot phase: We will then pilot test the cloth pad among 200 women working in RMG factories (for 6 months) within one year of starting this project. We will explore acceptability, feasibility, and willingness to pay for
the cloth pad, and  pathways to canvass for a business model towards
commercialization during this phase. We will collaborate with BGMEA and sanitary pad manufacturers (such as the Social Marketing Company) in country to enhance the commercial production.

Scalability and sustainability: Upon receiving users feedback on the product, we will modify it accordingly and by the middle of the second year, we will be able to go into mass production through the entrepreneurship model of ELLA Pad. We believe that within 3 years we will be able to reach the national with the kit, the biodegradable disposable sanitary pads, and the biodegradable reusable cloth pads.

Bangladesh is the second largest jute producing country in the world and there is an increasing demand of environment-friendly sanitary pads. Through our policy brief and dissemination, we will advocate to the Ministry of Commerce to export the jute-based disposable sanitary pads to other countries.  

The possible barrier would include competing with the numerous commercial disposable pad producing companies. These companies have a stronger marketing strategy claiming against the use of cloth or cloth pads as their advertising discourages the use of cloth pads projecting them as ‘unhygienic, ‘does not prevent staining’, unsmart, and unprogressive’ towards women’s development and advancement. These advertisements have been popular successful among the adolescent demography where girls feel embarrassed to admit the use of cloth pads among her peers, fearing they would think her as ‘poor’ or ‘uncultured.’ Breaking this barrier and proving the benefits of cloths, the ease of use and the positive impact of the environment will be our biggest barrier.

icddr,b is one of the world’s leading global health research institutes, and has more than 50 years experience in promoting the uptake of evidence-based interventions including oral saline. The proposed innovation of cloth pad will include biodegradable barrier sheet (thus environment friendly and can prevent leakage), and the menarche kit will include evidence-based menstrual materials. If successful, we will catalyze findings with BGMEA, The Ministry of Education, media, NGOs working on MHH and the leading manufacturers in country to scale out in the country.

  We plan to develop an effective business model with a strong marketing strategy involving celebrities and socially influential figures to promote the use of cloth pads. Once the kit is piloted and accepted among the adolescent group, we plan to work with the government and the private companies to develop a large scale advertising campaign to promote cloth pads and other environmentally friendly means of menstrual health and hygiene.

The team consist of Farhana Sultana (Assistant Scientist, icddr,b), who will be the lead of the study. Other members include Dr. Tishan Mahfuz (Research Investigator, icddr,b), Md. Mahbubur Rahman (Project Coordinator, icddr,b), Mubarak Ahmad Khan, who is the inventor of jute-cellulose based poly, and Mamunur Rahman, the head of ELLA Pad.

Farhana Sultana has over 12 years of research experience conducting the following studies; 1) a systematic review of literature on the sustained adoption of clean water and sanitation technologies, 2) piloting hygiene interventions among elementary school children in Bangladesh, and 3) impact of Low-Cost In-Line Chlorination Systems in Urban Dhaka on Water Quality and Child Health. She was also the Principal Investigator of 1) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1140650), 2) The Grand Challenges Canada (R-ST-POC-1808-16487), 3) The Islamic Development Bank (BGD1052), and 4) HSBC Bangladesh funded menstrual hygiene management study in schools, in urban slums and in RMG sectors in Bangladesh. She developed and pilot tested reusable cloth pad, washer and dryer bags to maintain cloth pad, jute-cellulose based sanitary pad. She has published her research to peer reviewed journals, and presented findings in international scientific conferences.

Md. Mahbubur Rahman has 15 years of program implementation experience including the WASH Benefits study and the RINEW trial.

Dr. Mubarak Ahmad Khan is a Bangladeshi scientist, creating and utilizing Jute's commercial uses and possibilities. According to the science-based research database, Scopus, he is considered to be the leading scientist
in the study of jute worldwide.

Mamunur Rahman, former fellow of D-Lab of MIT, heading an award winning social enterprise called ELLA Pad that produces reusable cloth pad.

 Mehjabin Tishan Mahfuz has experience in implementing MHH research in Bangladesh.

Our prior and current experience in menstrual helath and hygiene study and jute-cellulose based innovations make this team well-positioned to deliver this solution.

We plan to partner with ELLA Pa which is a trusted source for green sanitary napkins made reusing the scraps. Ella pad is a social initiative run by poor working women. Their vision is to ensure health and wellbeing of marginal women with a mission of zero waste textile.  Initially their target was 4 million women workers of about 5000 export oriented garment factories. ELLA Pad is well accepted to the leading business associations and government people for enhancing the image of Bangladesh that had been lost after Rana Plaza and Tazreen incidents.

Our partnership goal is to make 1) Collaboration for cloth pad development, distribution and  pilot testing; 2) Strategic planning towards business model; 3) Engaging marginalized women to develop small entrepreneurship; and 4) Build connections to investors and RMG sectors to progress scaling out the innovation in the country.

With collaboration of ELLA Pad, our objective of the business model is to address the triple bottom line: economy, society and environment. It is also said 3W model – where produced by women, managed by women and consumed by women. Doing  agreement with the factory owners, not as CSR rather for creating shared value, Ella is taking support from the factories to run its operational cost.

If successfully developed and pilot tested, we will catalyze findings with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), The Ministry of Education, media, NGOs working on MHH and the leading manufacturers (e.g. Social Marketig Comapny, who supported icddr,b to scale out oral saline) in country to scale out in the country.

  We plan to develop an effective business model with a strong marketing strategy involving celebrities and socially influential figures to promote the use of cloth pads. Once the kit is piloted and accepted among the adolescent group, we plan to work with the government and the private companies to develop a large scale advertising campaign to promote cloth pads and other environmentally friendly means of menstrual health and hygiene.

We plan to include the menarche  kit with in school curriculum and in five years, reach a potential 54 million menstruating women and girls in Bangladesh and can be exported internationally. We expect that due to its environmental friendliness and sustainability in menstrual management, other countries will be interested to adopt this product as part of school based menstrual hygiene management programs.

icddr,b research is supported by a combination of core support from bilateral donors and grant income. In 2017, the top 10 revenue sources for restricted and unrestricted grants were:

1) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA 2) UKAID: Department for International Development (DFID) 3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA 4) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 5) The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 6) National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA 7) Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh 8) Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) 9) Commission of the European Communities 10) Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Government of Canada

 The  Government of Bangladesh is also providing long-term financial support.  In keeping with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness,icddr,b's international core donors, Canada (Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development), Sweden (Sida), and the United Kingdom (DFID) provide long-term core funds to support the advancement of icddr,b's strategic plan.

Representatives from each of the development agencies meet regularly with icddr,b to monitor progress and discuss emerging research priorities and outputs. Every year, icddr,b reports performance against an agreed log frame and a joint donor report is commissioned to monitor progress.

All these will work as our path to financial sustainability.

Menstruation is a proscribed subject in most countries but has a graver health and social impact for resource-poor girls and women where lack of access to clean water, privacy, hygienic and appropriate materials, and proper knowledge often stand a barrier from attaining optimal menstrual health practices. The current practice of national and international organizations to improve menstrual health and hygiene are to provide the girls and women with commercially available disposable sanitary pads, which are expensive for low-income population and harmful for the environment as the materials used to make the pads are plastic and accumulate in the landfills for up to 800 years.

Many women and girls use cloth to manage their menstruation which is, scientifically, not a problem, however, stigma and lack of facilities make it difficult to wash, dry and store them hygienically for further and repeated use. 

In alignment with women's familiarity and with collaboration of Ella Pad (Eco-friendly Low-cost Liquid Absorbent), we aim to design a cloth pad with a biodegradable barrier sheet made from jute-cellulose. We will also develop  a menarche kit, for young girls who recently experienced their first menstruation, including  cloth pad, washer and dryer technology, jute-cellulose based biodegradable disposable pad, underwear, menstrual tracking calendar, and an information booklet for to prepare young girls and caregivers for proper MHH. If scaled globally, this will provide 100% biodegradable and low-cost solution for MHH and to prepare girls managing menarche.  

[1] See details: https://ellapad.org/.

We aim to avail the personalized support from Solve staff and Members of Solve’s cross-sector community to make connections, receive entrepreneurship training and build partnerships needed to accelerate our work, develop a business model pathway, and scale out our solution globally.

We propose to partner with Sathi pads and Afripads to learn about their journey and have experience from their business, technical, and local expertise to develop new products and set up manufacturing.

We also believe business model and entrepreneurship training from MIT faculty or initiatives would be useful to become successful with our proposed innovation of cloth pad with biodegradable leakage prevent barrier sheet, and developing a menarche kit.

Our innovation has potential to improve quality of life for women and girls in Bangladesh and globally in number of ways:

1) The lack of low-cost MHH products in Bangladeshi schools contribute to 40% of absences among menstruating girls. The Ministry of Education plans to provide schoolgirls monthly MHH stipend. Our innovation potential to provide low-cost and environment-friendly solution that the girls will be able to purchase and use. Therefore, school attendance, performance and quality education will be improved.

2) We expect a paradigm shift in menstrual absorbent usage from high-cost and non-biodegradable sanitary pads to low-cost and biodegradable cloth pads which will ensure environmental conservation by providing an alternative with jute-cellulose based biodegradable leakage barrier that will decompose in soil.

3) Our innovation also has the potential to enhance improved reproductive health care and practices among women and girls, and thus to ensure good health and well-being.

4) Investment in scientific research are crucial drivers of economic growth and sustainable development in Bangladesh. Use of jute-cellulose based biodegradable leakage barrier will open a new prospect for jute industries and contribute to industry, innovation and infrastructure.

5) Over 29% of world’s and 54 million of Bangladesh’s population is reproductive aged women and girls suggesting a global and local market demand for low-cost, reusable and biodegradable menstrual absorbents is in increasing trends. The innovation can also be a replacement of non-biodegradable disposable pads globally as the menstrual hygiene need is similar for every women and girl in the world.