Choose menstrual pads that are chlorine-free, fragrance-free, and made with GOTS certified organic cotton. If you’re open to using reusable pads, we think they’re great and they save a ton of plastic waste from heading to the landfill. 

Materials

Cotton

For pads, we love cotton. It’s soft, breathable, and absorptive -- the ideal characteristics of a period-catching instrument. Unfortunately, conventional cotton is a water-intensive crop that takes a significant toll on the soil and is associated with deforestation and heavy pesticide use. Almost 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of all insecticides come from the cotton industry. But, not all cottons are created equal. Choosing organic cotton will lower the likelihood that your purchase is associated with the use of these chemicals, which end up poisoning our soil and waterways, and can lead to endocrine disruption. Go the extra mile by choosing cotton certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the most stringent textile certification ensuring that the product complies with environmental and social criteria along the entire supply chain. As for conventional cotton -- despite the imperfections of the industry, it’s way better than anything petroleum-derived. 

Plastic (Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyethylene)

From polyester in the soft, plush parts, to polypropylene and/or polyethylene in the sticky parts, plastic is the main component of most conventional pads. Plastic is made of petroleum, aka oil, which we extract from the earth’s crust by drilling and fracking. These practices have a host of negative environmental consequences that can devastate already fragile wildlife populations and expose people living and working near drilling sites to toxic gasses and contaminated drinking water. Between the high heat and chemical refining processes required to make plastic, it’s one of the most energy-intensive materials to produce. Also, any plastic that ends up in our environment breaks down into microplastics, which have been found at the top of Mount Everest and the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Ingredients

Chlorine Bleach

Pads are often treated with bleach to achieve that super-clean white and fluffy look. We recommend looking for chlorine-free or unbleached pads, since bleach can contain dioxins and furans, which are known to cause cancer, endocrine disruption, and reproductive toxicity.

Synthetic Fragrances

Because fragrances are considered trade secrets, pad manufacturers aren’t required to tell you everything that goes in their products to give it that fresh scent. This means that pads with “fragrance” could contain a host of nasty chemicals like phthalates and synthetic musks, which are known to disrupt hormones and can lead to developmental and fertility problems. 

End of life

End of life considerations vary significantly here depending on whether you choose disposable or reusable pads. About 12 billion pads are thrown away annually in the U.S. alone, and none of them are recyclable. The cumulative impact of that waste weighs on our landfills, which already receive over 146 million tons of trash per year. Rather than lasting a few hours, reusable pads generally last up to five years. This means that if you replaced every disposable pad with a reusable pad and washed them all once per cycle in a full load of laundry, you could reduce the amount of material solid waste associated with your period by up to 98%. 

Fun Fact

In the U.S. alone, about 12 billion pads are discarded each year.

Certifications

Here are some certifications to look for when shopping this category.

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