We at Lal Sakhi are going to organize a webinar on the occasion of International Plastic Free Day on 3rd July, 2021. Our Organisation focuses majorly on women’s reproductive healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, livelihood and environmental sustainability.
Plastic pollution is pervasive affecting marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems globally. At the global level, The issue of marine (micro)plastics has been recognized in the UN SDGs under Goal 14 which is to: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. And not only that Lal Sakhi is equally trying to achieve other SDGs which includes SDG 3,4,5,6,8 and 12 i.e.; Good health and well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean water and Sanitation, Decent work and Economic growth and Responsible Consumption and Production respectively.
As our organisation is actively working towards creating awareness regarding women’s menstrual health and hygiene, So, on an individual level today it becomes important for all of us to realize and think about the impact our periods have on the environment now than ever before and how it can lead to a future disaster.
Around 355 million women in India menstruate which accounts for nearly 30% of the country’s population. Studies have shown that an individual goes through approximately 11,000 disposable pads and/or tampons in a lifetime and also that Sanitary Pads are around 90% plastic. If we multiply that number by everyone on this planet that gets his or her period and that equals a substantial amount of waste which has a huge negative impact on the environment.
According to Menstrual Health Alliance, India; One sanitary pad could take 500-800 years to decompose. As we know most pads contain polyethylene plastic which is an environmentally harmful pollutant. Likewise, most tampons contain chemicals such as dioxin, chlorine and rayon. While the products sit in landfills, these chemicals get soaked up by the earth and are released as pollution into groundwater and air. Thus, it becomes very essential for us to switch to an eco-friendly period product not only for one’s health but also for the environment’s sake. As this equally affects a women’s health which in turn can affect their livelihood as going through menstrual problems becomes a hurdle for a women to work, thus our organization is also trying to connect with NRLM on this particular issue as implementing policies favouring women’s health and livelihood will be a positive step towards women development