nookees sustainable & reusable period pads vs. tampons
Granted, you’ve probably heard praising reusable period pads a gazillion times before. Seems like every eco-conscious menstruating person under the sun has at least 3 pairs of plastic-free period pads living rent-free in their top drawer. But what about the classics? They’ve been period staples since the late 1920s and early 1930s. So why did we decide to ditch tampons all of a sudden?
To get a better understanding of why reusable period products should be on your menstrual hygiene checklist, we first need to explain why your steady supply of pads/tampons may not be the best choice for your health and the environment after all.
nookees plastic-free & reusable period pads vs. tampons: Which Is Better?
Tampons create a huge amount of plastic waste
Consider reusable period pads as the ultimate zero-waste alternative to feminine hygiene products. Did you know that the world is absolutely drowning in period products-related waste? No, that’s not a sleazy marketing gimmick to throw shade on the tampons and single-use pads. In North America alone, close to 20 billion sanitary napkins, tampons, and applicators are sent to landfills every year. And given that traditional menstrual products are crafted with, you guessed it, plastic, it’s no wonder why they could take 500 to 800 years to decompose.
Tampons, for example, come wrapped in plastic, encased in plastic applicators, and enhanced with plastic strings, and many super-absorbent options are “dressed” with a thin layer of plastic.
Tampons produce dangerous methane emissions when disposed
The hard reality is that landfills are a top source of methane emissions. This is mostly because when non-biodegradable materials like plastic, are exposed to direct sunlight and heat, they release powerful greenhouse gases that cause harm to the air, nearby waterbodies, and soil. Now, if we consider that the average person will menstruate for about 40 years in total, bleeding for about five days a month, this results in the use of over 11,000 disposable pads and tampons over a lifetime. Can you begin to imagine the waste?
Tampons carry toxic chemicals
Today, most tampons are made from a harmful combination of chlorine-bleached cotton, rayon, viscose, and plastic. That’s not gossip from the sustainable living sphere. Many studies have actually confirmed it. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins. The symptoms include fever, hypotension, sunburn-like rash, and end-organ damage. And, of course, it’s related to tampon use.
As you can probably tell, tampons have their fair share of disadvantages. They are highly polluting, laden with all sorts of chemicals, and fairly expensive. So let’s have a look at sustainable reusable period pants.
What about sustainable period underwear?
nookees plastic-free period pads are organic & zero-waste
nookees plastic-free period pads, on the other hand, are quite literally a zero-waste period revolution. Unlike tampons and “traditional” menstruation products, they are strategically enhanced with unique layer technology and special fabrics in the crotch area to absorb menstrual blood.
nookees are made entirely out of specially woven cotton to provide maximum suction power. This resource-efficient cotton fabric is made from organic fibres. This means that no pesticides or chemicals, that are harmful to health and the ecosystem, have been used.
Organic cotton is primarily used for children’s clothing and undies because its weave is ridiculously breathable and super absorbent. In fact, organic cotton is fantastic at wicking moisture away from the body and keeping you feeling fresh and cool. On top of that, this organic fibre is lauded as one of the safest and most allergy-friendly textiles in the world due to the complete lack of chemicals.
However, that’s not the real innovation!
nookees reusable period pads unique technology
We love reusable period undies as much as the next person, but darn, we also love comfort! The nookees pads are equipped with a totally different system. You don’t really have to change the whole panties multiple times per day. All you have to do is click the pad inside of the nookees panties using the snap buttons and remove them once you will like it’s time for a change. We are talking about highly absorbent menstruation pads that snap into comfortably designed panties here!
nookees period pads are non-toxic & safe
The snap buttons we use for nookees are nickel-free and OEKO-Tex 100 certified; this means that they have been tested for harmful substances to protect your health. The same applies to the lace on our nookees undies which is produced under STeP by OEKO-Tex standards —a certification system for environmentally friendly and socially responsible production facilities along the supply chain.
Organic cotton reusable period pads also help reduce the amount of harmful micro plastics polluting our oceans. Micro plastics from our washing machines find their way into the oceans. In fact, one piece of clothing can release a staggering 700,000 fibers in a single wash. Of course, this isn’t the case for organic and chemical-free items like nookees period products.
Organic cotton reusable period pads underwear are resource efficient
Need another excuse to opt for reusable period pads? While there are no studies indicating the exact water usage of tampon production, we can get a pretty good idea by looking at the stats of the oh-too-familiar plastic bottles. It takes 22–28 gallons of water to make one pound of plastic. And you can get about 22–25 PET bottles (500ml) from one pound of plastic. Organic cotton farming uses significantly less water and energy resources, which makes it the best choice in terms of sustainability.
But aside from being naturally sustainable and hypoallergenic, our cotton is also grown in rainy areas like parts of Uganda and Kirgisistan. This basically means that the crop needs even less water to thrive because it gets as much as it needs naturally from rainfall.
Leak-proof period panties are reusable & affordable
At first 49€ for three nookees pads with one, two, and three layers of absorption and 39€ for a pair of undies which may sound like a not-so-splurge-worthy deal. But in reality, reusable period pads will actually help you save money in the long run. Think of it this way. A typical period lasts for 5 days.
A menstruating person usually needs 3 to 5 pads or tampons a day. In a year, the average cost of pads or tampons per year is around 170€. In a span of 40 years, we would have spent about 6,800€. Plastic-free period reusable period pads, however, can last up to 2 years with proper care. So in the long run, reusable sanitary products are far more affordable. nookees sustainable period products give back!
Aside from being earth-friendly, we also try our best to help women all around the world feel proud of and safe during their menstruation. That’s exactly with every purchase of nookees START HERE set, we send out extra pads of nookees to our partner projects in Indonesia, Uganda, Nepal, and Brasil.
Get your sustainable leak-proof period pads
Regardless of whether are a newbie or a period pads connoisseur,, anyone who menstruates can find their forever periodmate at nookees. So go ahead and have a look at our virtual shelves to discover even more reusable sanitary products for your exact needs. And if you are a first-timer, you can always start your zero-waste period journey with the nookees START HERE set!
