Period-Positive Approach! How Two Social Entrepreneurs Are Bringing Discussions Around Menstruation In Mainstream

Founded by the husband-wife duo Sujata Pawar and Apurv Agrawal, Avni is a conscious brand that has reinvented the menstrual experience for many menstruators around the country.

The fem-tech company is said to be inspired by the traditions that were protected by our grandmothers and the science of Ayurveda, which they believe helped our ancestors lead a healthier and more sustainable life. As today's world progresses with the newest technologies, Avni takes this technology and incorporates it with the age-old wisdom for a sustainable tomorrow.

The brand's name in itself means "Mother Earth", and they have stayed true to this idea and ensured that every product that they release to the market provides a sustainable and safe alternative to their customers.

Accommodating traditions to the developing space of science requires an immense amount of research and innovation. Especially when it comes to menstrual care, there's an extra element of care that needs to be put in to build trust with millions of menstruators. Without leaving any stone unturned, the co-founders set up not just a brand but an experience with the support of medical experts, a 24X7 helpline, and conscious products covering menarche to menopause. Having been a menstrual activist for the longest period, Sujata was also able to convey the period's positive message and reach out to the crowds.

The Inception

About eight years ago, Sujata had an uncomfortable experience using commercially produced sanitary napkins. This is something many menstruators have experienced due to the kind of plastic and chemicals that goes into manufacturing pads. It is known to cause rashes, sores, and uncomfortable situations almost every month. In the longer run, these also pose a risk to the reproductive system and general health. Yet, a switch to healthier alternatives was not commonly visible in the markets back then.

Another factor that bothered her was the amount of sanitary waste that gets deposited every day and the hazard it poses for sanitation workers who collect this waste. Tons of plastic waste piles up solely from the usage of commercial sanitary pads, and many times, they are not even disposed of in the right manner. This pile of plastic waste then takes over 500 to 800 years to break down, up until which it keeps growing and would get out of our hands.

From here on, she began to search for alternatives that are skin-friendly, eco-friendly, and do not harm sanitation workers by any means. Much to her dismay, no existing brand catered to all three aspects that she looked out for.

However, with the amount of research she had put into the matter, she was equipped to work toward a viable solution. Sharing the potential business idea with her partner, the duo excitedly began developing Avni. Today, they take pride in the fact that Avni's reusable cloth pad is India's first tested cloth pad that absorbs and protects menstruators from infections.

All the healthcare products that they have released continue to be crafted in a skin-friendly, chemical-free, and environmentally friendly manner. Even when it reaches the consumer, they have tried to create zero-waste through 100 per cent recyclable packaging.

Replacing Discomfort, With Help From Many Women

All the products are said to be proudly Made in India and rely majorly on local ingredients and skills. Most of the cloth pads that are released to the market by Avni are carefully hand-stitched by rural women, who have also benefited through employment opportunities. Over time as they built the brand with these talented women on their team, the co-founders expanded their product lines with the Ezeepad and the menstrual cups.

It was also at this point that they realised that space for awareness was still lacking within their project. For the kind of taboo that has been attached to menstruation, reversing the effect and making it an accessible service required reaching out to the people. That's when they launched the country's first-ever 24X7 period helpline.

The helpline assisted women in knowing their options and making a smooth transition toward a healthier and more sustainable period routine. Many times, women hesitate to make the switch as they do not feel comfortable expressing their doubts and concerns openly. With this service, they hoped to bridge that gap and initiate a dialogue that attempted to understand what held them back and address it accordingly.

Real-time conversations are made between experts and customers to help them understand menstrual care better and more effectively. The AvniBuddy helpline has also helped debunk several myths surrounding menstruation over time.

Envisioning A Menstrual Positive World

Speaking to The Logical Indian, Avni's founder mentioned how they hope to create a world where menstruation is not considered taboo anymore. Helping women construct a positive period experience and realise how special their womanhood is, made much of the core of Avni's inception.

Menstrual hygiene is placing itself in the mainstream discourse, slowly but surely breaking down the stigma in rural and urban communities. Among both, the rural communities often pose more challenges, and their adoption of a switch is much slower.

To effectively reach out to them as well, they launched the DAAG project that collaborates with local Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to educate and build awareness among young girls in remote regions. As a part of the project, they also donated menstrual health kits to resource-poor menstruators such as sex workers, waste pickers, and college dropouts who rely on low-quality products such as rags and toilet paper during their cycle.

Period poverty is an issue many struggles with in India, and through such social outreach programs, Avni has addressed it and consistently attempted to act upon it. Along the same lines, about eight per cent of the company's profits go into uplifting menstruators and providing them with high-quality products.

Also Read: The 'Stain' Of Menstrual Myths That Continue To Haunt Indian Women