The value of reusable feminine hygiene products evaluated by comparative environmental life cycle assessment

Abstract

New options for feminine hygiene products could greatly reduce solid waste impacts and have other environmental benefits. As a group of widely used but rarely examined consumer products, feminine hygiene products offer great potential for impact reduction if alternative products are used or conventional products improved. Through a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of three menstrual products: disposable tampons and sanitary pads, and reusable menstrual cups, this study details the mid-point impacts of each product. Data from the Ecoinvent database and literature were used to complete the assessment. Disposable tampons and sanitary pads had far greater impacts across each category than the re-useable menstrual cup. Between the two disposable options, sanitary pads were the most impactful product, though the quantitative differences between the two disposable products is within uncertainty associated with variable use habits among women. The use of wood pulp as a component of the absorbent material in sanitary pads has substantial benefit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, that benefit is coupled with increased toxicity, mostly due to the potential for dioxin generation during bleaching. For tampons, removing the applicator from the product substantially reduced several of the impacts and generally made them a better choice than a sanitary pad. The impacts of the reusable menstrual cup used for one year were less than 1.5% the environmental impacts of the disposable products and approximately only 10% of the cost. Thereby clearly demonstrating the overall value of the reusable option in a class of highly used and important consumer products.