Circular Economy & Not Just A Piece Of Cloth

The pandemic brought the entire world to a halt. But have we ever considered the countless daily wage employees and migrant laborers whose lives were turned upside down when the nationwide lockdown was announced? We heard stories about tens of thousands of daily wage workers walking to their hometowns with their wives and children. Have we ever considered what these women may have gone through during their monthly periods? What a danger it would have been for mothers bleeding through these difficult times to walk thousands of kilometres in the scorching heat, carrying massive amounts of luggage and infants in their arms. And they don't have access to a suitable washroom or a private bathing space to wash and clean during their periods. Hard to believe, isn't it?

This is just one instance of the countless hassles that women and menstruators residing in rural areas and slums in cities have to face. With hand-to-mouth existence, thinking about a fresh set of sanitary requirements every month is a far-fetched dream for them.

The Circular Economy Model

The throwaway culture that we are currently a part of, has led to inequitable distribution of resources across various strata in the socio-economic environment. This has resulted in food shortages, among other issues, with those living in rural areas facing the brunt of it.

Goonj and its initiatives are based on the concept of a circular economy: a model wherein all products are reused rather than discarding them and using new resources to achieve the goals at hand. At Goonj, all sorts of material – be it torn and unused cloth, cut out pieces of jeans, shredded cloth or katran – all are reused to make products such as sujnis, quilts, rugs, asanas and distributed to those residing in villages as a reward for the work they undertake to improve their living standards.

As per the Circularity Gap Report, the globe's economy has gone down from being 9.1% circular in 2018 to being only 8.6% circular as of 2020, with 100 billion tonnes of resources being consumed in a year. Hence, the circular economy model used at Goonj provides an alternative approach wherein the rural population is mobilized and taught ways where they can use the resources available locally to sustain themselves. This model can be particularly seen in Goonj's "Not Just a Piece of Cloth" (NJPC) initiative wherein urban surplus cotton cloth is sanitized and reused to make cotton pads (MY Pads) for women residing in rural areas. Goonj also acts as a facilitator to help menstruators (adolescent girls, women, transgenders and non-binary people) solve their own problems relating to menstruation, lack of hygienic toilets and bathing spaces, lack of nutrition and overcoming the taboo surrounding menstruation.

Using Cloth Instead Of Sanitary Napkin

For a long time, menstruation has been associated with the use of cloth. It is only recently in the past few years that plastic-based sanitary napkins have become the norm. And the availability of these is only limited to the urban areas. In far-flung villages, where women have to travel kilometres to fetch water or work in fields in order to make a living, thinking about having a chemist shop with these sanitary napkins is a far-fetched dream. The majority of women reuse the old cloth from their sarees and clothes lying in the corners of their house to use as a napkin during their menses. Some women even resort to using sand, ash, gunny bags, dried leaves in the absence of having sufficient cloth. Since 2005, Goonj's NJPC project has turned over 1.8 million square meters of urban surplus cotton cloth into MY Pads, with over 7 million 'MY Pads' distributed to menstruators. This amount rises to 35 million+ when we consider their ability to be reused 2-3 times. The ability to be reused after cleaning makes cotton-based pads a viable alternative. Substituting single-use plastic pads for reusable alternatives such as cotton pads helps in the development of a circular healthcare system.

Menstruation and Nutrition

The socioeconomic realities in many remote villages in India are such that the villagers are unable to make ends meet. When having three square meals a day seems next to impossible for them, then thinking about buying clean cloth to be used during menstruation for women of the family seems to be a distant thought. When girls and women have to work relentlessly during their menses, without adequate nutrition, it leads to fatigue and various health-related issues. Goonj, through its initiatives, aims to educate women on the power of good and nutritious food. Not only this, Goonj even steps up to provide seeds that the rural dwellers can sow and reap and cultivate nutrition gardens in order to sustain themselves. Through Chuppi Todo Baithaks (Break the Silence Meetings), Goonj and its volunteers seek to educate the village folks on the importance of clean and hygienic bathrooms and bathing spaces, along with the need for nutrition to keep the mind and body fit.

Waste Disposal

With menstruation and sanitary pads, comes the need for proper disposal of sanitary napkins and cotton pads. According to research, it takes 400 - 800 years for a disposable pad to degrade. Coming to think of it, using cloth pads is more environmentally friendly. Hence, encouraging the use of clean cotton to be used during periods, along with guidance on proper use and disposal is the need of the hour. Village folks are used to disposing of pads in nearby village ponds or water bodies, which makes the water unfit for consumption. This is where Goonj steps in and seeks to bring out a behavioural change in the minds of people. Goonj provides a sanitary kit, with proper instructions on disposal after use along with a pouch for storing soiled pads. Goonj also supports women to build a common dustbin for menstrual waste disposal using locally available bamboo sticks and resources.

Menstruation is looked at like a monthly tragedy for women due to the multiple impediments, which range from product usage to disposal, risks and problems, as well as humiliation and disgrace. Not Just a Piece of Cloth, a Goonj initiative, tries to remove the stigma surrounding menstruation and encourages conversations on the challenges women encounter when it comes to menstruation.

Also Read: Not Just A Piece Of Cloth: Making Women Aware About Menstrual Hygiene