Daughters of India x Eco Femme: Empowering Women Through Menstrual Health
Eco Femme is a women-led social enterprise dedicated to providing dignified, informed, and sustainable menstrual solutions. Through education, employment, and access to reusable cloth pads, Eco Femme empowers women and girls while championing environmental consciousness.Founded in Auroville, India, Eco Femme has been breaking taboos and advocating for menstrual health since 2010. Their work focuses on revitalising menstrual practices, ensuring they are healthy, affordable, dignified, and environmentally sustainable.
By providing menstrual health education and fostering open conversations about menstruation, Eco Femme empowers women and girls to make informed choices about their well-being. Their mission extends beyond menstrual health, driving cultural, social, and environmental transformation.
Eco Femme partners with Women’s Self-Help Groups, providing women in rural villages with sustainable employment by crafting reusable cloth pads.
Eco Femme’s GOTS-certified organic cloth pads are available in over 20 countries, supported by a global network of 200+ ambassadors and 150+ retailers. They also conduct research, consultancy, and training in menstrual health education.
- 1+ million cloth pads distributed
- 75+ million disposable pads prevented from waste
- 80+ NGO partners across India
- 200+ voluntary ambassadors worldwide
Every reusable cloth pad replaces 75 disposable plastic pads, making Eco Femme’s impact both socially transformative and environmentally responsible.
WHY SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUATION MATTERS
Eco Femme’s mission prioritizes dignity, health, and empowerment, beyond just reducing waste. Sustainable menstruation means:
- Breaking taboos surrounding menstruation
- Providing safe and accessible menstrual health solutions
- Creating economic opportunities for rural women
- Building a global movement for menstrual equity
Through Pad for Pad, Eco Femme provides a menstrual kit and menstrual health education to girls from low-income backgrounds in India.
The Pad for Pad Kit contains: 4 Eco Femme cloth pads, a travel/storage pouch, a product care instruction leaflet, and a booklet on the basics of menstruation and cycle self-care (this material is available in many local languages).
In India and many other parts of the world, menstruation remains a topic shrouded in silence. This culture of secrecy can lead to harmful and avoidable consequences. Pad for Pad was created to replace silence with conversations, normalising periods and empowering girls to manage menstruation hygienically with safe, non-polluting products that last for years.
In India:
- 52% of adolescent girls are unaware of menstruation prior to menarche
- 45% of girls do not consider menstruation normal
- 77% of girls are restricted from visiting places of worship while menstruation
- 24% of girls sit separately from family members during menstruation
Adapted from: Van Eijk et al (2016). Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
What Pad for Pad Sessions Cover:
- Female anatomy, menstruation, and the menstrual cycle
- Self-care during menstruation (hygiene, nutrition, exercise) and natural remedies
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A menstrual product analysis to promote informed choices
- Safe spaces to openly discuss menstruation
Daughters of India proudly supports Eco Femme’s mission. With every order on the 17th of February, we’re donating a Pad for Pad menstrual kit and menstrual health education with Eco Femme, ensuring access to essential menstrual products and education.
Join us in empowering women, girls, and communities through sustainable menstrual health solutions. Together, we can create meaningful change, one cloth pad at a time.
Learn more about Eco Femme here.
