This situation certainly sounds familiar to you: your period products  run out, so you go to the drugstore, grab a few packs of tampons or sanitary pads without thinking too much about it and then you are set for a few weeks. How the products are made and which Effects even after use on the Environment  are left out. In addition, many people are not aware of the harmful substances that can be contained in the products. In this article, we will inform you about the ecological footprint  of period products and the sustainable alternatives on. 

On earth, every person leaves their own, very personal ecological footprint. But what exactly does that mean? The ecological footprint indicates how much area a person needs to cover his Need for resources to cover - thus the ecological footprint is considered a Sustainability indicator Criteria that may be taken into account include the type and origin of the food consumed, the production conditions of the consumer goods and the means of transport used. 

One thing is clear: we humans consume more than the earth’s natural resources can grow and regenerate. This is also evident in the so-called Earth Overshoot Day - Earth Overshoot Day. This indicates on which day of the year the ecological resources for the entire year have already been used up. In 2023, this was already August 2nd. That was the day of the year from which we started living "on credit", so to speak. That means that the resources themselves were used up, but more were still being used. 

You may now be wondering how the ecological footprint is measured.The basis of the calculation is the earth's natural biocapacity, which is theoretically available to humans. This includes the different areas of the earth, such as arable land, built-up land or forest areas. Almost everything we do every day consumes resources - be it travelling, buying clothes, eating or driving a car. The ecological footprint is then calculated by Resource and land use in relation to the Earth’s biocapacity You can easily find out your own ecological footprint using calculators on the Internet.

The aim of the ecological footprint is to make us aware of our consumption and to show it to us. An ecological footprint that is too large could be an incentive to live more resource-efficiently and thus protect the environment. When you do your weekly shopping, for example, ask yourself how much you really need and use, instead of throwing away huge amounts and wasting food. A frightening fact is that in Germany alone, around 11 million tons of food in the trash Small changes in everyday life can ultimately have a big impact.  

The fact is that disposable menstrual products create huge mountains of waste. Did you know that a menstruating person produces around 17,000 sanitary pads or tampons consumed? And it is not just the waste of the product itself, but also the packaging waste that is generated. Or to put it another way: Within a year, a menstruating person average 4 kg of period waste Find out now what this means for our planet.

So what about the ecological footprint of menstrual products? First, we have to look at the amount of waste. As we have already told you, the product itself and the packaging, which is mostly made of plastic, generate an enormous amount of Garbage Plastic alone takes hundreds of years to decompose, meaning disposable menstrual products have extreme environmental consequences. 

Apart from the waste generated by these period products, they can also Chemicals can get into any water source in a flash. If you didn't know, many manufacturers use chemicals in their products. Disposable tampons or sanitary pads are often made of cotton that has been treated with pesticides. Bleaching agents are often used during production.  used to give the tampon or pad the pure white color. This may give the product a "clean look," but it is definitely bad for your health and the environment.

Also Biocides in the products are not uncommon. Period underwear manufacturers often promise that their products are sustainable, but the biocides they contain prove the opposite. Promises such as "antibacterial" or "no odors" should set off alarm bells, as this can be an indication that biocides such as silver chloride or zinc pyrithione are contained. These are quickly washed out during the washing process and end up in the sewage treatment plants via the washing water and ultimately in the waterways.These chemicals therefore have negative effects on both the environment and wildlife. 

Many of the conventional menstrual products are made of cotton, which requires large quantities of Water consumed As already mentioned above, pesticides or insecticides are used for this purpose, which can have negative consequences for the ecosystem. 

So you can see that conventional period products leave a large ecological footprint and can cause lasting harm to the environment and wildlife.

There is good news: There are now many different, sustainable alternatives to conventional period products on the market. With the help of these, you can also contribute to reducing your ecological footprint with regard to your period. In our online shop you will find sustainable period companions such as washable pads , washable tampons , Period underwear and much more. Find out now why these products are ecologically positive.

Our washable tampons and pads 

In our online shop you will find washable tampons and Bind out of Organic cotton As with all our products, we do not use chemicals such as biocides. If you did not know: Although there is always a risk of suffering from toxic shock syndrome (TSS) with tampons, the probability is lower when using our tampons because they do not contain any chemicals. If you want to find out more about TSS, read our Blog post through to this. 
Unlike disposable products, our washable pads and tampons do not end up in the trash after use. If you take care of them properly, you can even up to 4 years reuse and thus make a major contribution to the environment.

Our Period Panties 

Biocides have no place with us! You can even keep your Taynies at up to Wash at 60 degrees , which is particularly beneficial for infections in the intimate area. However, a washing temperature of 40 degrees is usually sufficient to reduce the number of germs - and that is also better for the environment. 

Also in our Period underwear we process organic cotton. This is not only kind to the skin, but also more environmentally friendly: compared to conventional cotton, the use of organic cotton can save harmful CO2. After all, it only produces slightly more than half the CO2 emissions caused by growing conventional cotton. The reason for this is that organic farming does not use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. 

Period Cup 

Did you know that you can also significantly reduce your ecological footprint by using a menstrual cup? Compared to a conventional tampon, you can save around 90% CO2 per year by using a menstrual cup and its reusability. Our Taynie Premium Period Cup contains neither artificial colors nor biocides. In addition, its medical silicone is pleasantly soft and slippery, so that your mucous membranes are not dried out.This makes it a plus for you and for the environment!🙂

Of course, we package our products without plastic and in a FSC-certified packaging made from recycled cardboard. The packages are then sent climate-neutrally with DHL GoGreen. This is another way we are making a sustainable contribution to climate protection. 

So join us on the path towards sustainability and leave the environmental pollution caused by period waste behind you.