FabPad Startup Highlights An Important Period Issue For Women
- Business Manufacturing Startup
Niccolo Romano- 0
- 6 minutes read
As per a report by the Central Pollution Control Board, India produces nearly 3.3 million tons of plastic waste every year. According to a study, nearly 113,000 tonnes of this generated waste are just the sanitary napkin’s plastic waste that results in landfills. An alternative or more organic product has perhaps never been considered. But what if this alternative can lead to a more comfortable experience during your periods as well? This is where FabPad startup comes in.
FabPad Startup: What’s New With Periods?
This is the product of childhood friends Upasana Todi Prakash and Shripriya Khaitan Dhelia. This startup has designed what they call as Period Panties which according to them will offer the users a more comfortable, sanitary pad free period experience. FabPad manufactures eco-friendly sanitary napkins for women. So how do they actually operate? According to Shripriya,
"All the components of the conventional pad are sewn into the underwear itself. It has multiple layers of organic cotton and also contains a moisture lock base fabric."
She further says that the idea is similar to a diaper but the feel and look are like conventional underwear. While saying this, she further adds that,
"It is more comfortable because the top layer is extremely soft and doesn't cause irritation."
These products are made up of cotton, which can also be termed as FabPad cloth pads and these are reusable panties and they can also sustain more than 100 washes. According to the estimations made by one of the co-founders of this FabPad startup, these should last for a maximum of 4 years, provided the user takes care of these. Shripriya further said,
"We wanted to create a more comfortable, pad-free experience and promote sustainability."
These period panties are the new ones in their line of products from FabPad, which was founded in September 2020. Shripriya explains,
"We also retail organic cotton pads, menstrual cups, and also baby diapers. All these are reusable. states Shripriya. "The cotton pads also look like conventional pads with all the elements preserved, including the cross-stitch, to make the transition from plastic pads easier."
But that is not all about this FabPad startup. The founders ensure that their products are not just sustainably created but also empower and uplift women. The complete workforce of this startup comprises women from rural sectors around Kolkata. Shripriya says,
"We wanted to find a way to empower the women in rural areas and the only way was to make them self-sufficient."
After training her team of women that consists of 70 members to make these products, this company also gave them the chance to sell them among the people of their community. This is the part of the Padma project where they also donate one pad after every 25 pad sales for the girls who come from the unprivileged community. According to them,
"For urban women, periods don't make a difference at all. But that's not the case in the rural areas where period poverty is very real. Girls drop out of school, women stop working. Through this initiative, we hope that they gain access to sanitary products and are also financially empowered at the same time."
Now you may wonder where you can get the products of FabPad. Shripriya says,
"We retail on all e-commerce websites and also on our own website. There are no physical stores."
The Background Of FabPad Startup
Shripriya is a graduate of the London College of Fashion. She is a fashion designer who brings creative design aesthetics on board. Upasana Todi Prakash on the other hand has a BBA degree from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and also an MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and she brings business sense to their associate venture.
In August 2020, the two friends shifted into being business partners when they associated over their vision of designing a sustainable menstruation brand in this country. Looking at the statistics, Shripriya stated that though the change in climate is an appropriate and much-touted topic in the present day, very few are worried about global waste. She said,
“At FabPad, we aim to impact the environment, along with creating an impact on women around us. We are working towards empowering women from low-income communities. Through our ‘Project Padma’, we partner with women from disadvantaged backgrounds to stitch and sell cloth pads. For every 25 pads sold, FabPad donates one pad to economically disadvantaged girls.”
The Bottom Line
Recently, the FabPad startup is creating headlines for its great initiative to decrease the amount of waste that is generated on this planet. This startup deals with creating reusable period panties that can be worn for more than 4 years if taken care of. Reusable sanitary pads should be the future to get a sustainable life on this planet. These graduates aim at decreasing waste and also offering a good experience to women in their periods. The FabPad reviews on Amazon and on other websites as well are quite good.
