How Fabpad is Making a Dent in the Feminine Hygiene Market with its Sustainable Products

Menstruation is invariably a critical subject in Indian society. It has been deemed taboo especially in rural areas. Such a notion has begotten a lack of awareness about menstruation, in turn, eliminating sanitary pads as a basic amenity for women. To reduce period poverty and meanwhile, grow awareness in the society, Upasana Todi Prakash and Shripriya Khaitan Dhelia founded Fabpad during the pandemic. 

Through this venture, Dhelia and Prakash want to do their bit to save the environment and secondly, take a step towards addressing period poverty in India.

“After researching all options available in the market, we realized the necessity of creating the cloth pad that checked all the boxes—eco-friendly, affordable, healthy, and reusable alternatives that provide the basic privilege of wellness, self-care, and hygiene to women everywhere,” Dhelia said. 

The brand asserts to have added numerous sustainable products at a record pace growing 10-15 percent month-on-month.

Concentrating on Focus Areas 

Environmental impact and social impact are two areas that the brand focuses on. With its products, the brand seeks to give a convenient and eco-friendly alternative for women to choose sustainable menstruation products. All products are manufactured in-house with utmost importance on quality. 

“From the choice of fabric to the way our products are manufactured, and the impact it has, there are many ways in which, FabPad is different from its competitors,” Dhelia said. 

Besides this, the brand facilitates empowering women around it. It has started a project called Padma or Pad Ma (which means Mother of Pads). The brand calls these women superwomen who are an integral part of its organization. This set of women help it stitch and complete its products, sell and distribute the product. They also help spread awareness about safe menstrual practices and reduce the taboo surrounding the subject. 

Growing with the Changing Time 

As time unfolds, the brand is poising as a D2C brand. It is focusing primarily on e-commerce platforms. Apart from selling products on its eponymous website, it has a presence on various other platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Meesho, Jio Mart, and Big Basket.

Its marketing team aims at augmenting its position and creating a positive perception in the market. Its marketing strategy includes several media channels, campaigns, and a variety of avenues to reach its goals. The strategy comprises paid ads, native ads, social media marketing, video marketing, SEO, and search marketing, among others.

Going by the company’s omnichannel strategy, it seeks to approach sales and marketing that provides customers with a fully-integrated shopping experience. In this process, it unites user experiences from brick-and-mortar to mobile browsing and everything in between. 

“Fabpad aims to create a new paradigm of excellence in women’s menstrual hygiene and personal care space. It deploys a strong offline distribution channel to ensure that the company’s range of products is available within a 2 km radius to its customers everywhere,” Dhelia shared the omnichannel strategy of the brand. 

Offering Sustainable Solutions 

Going by its mantra 'Who does it better?’, the company firmly believes that it will be able to make people switch to sustainable options for their everyday products. It has grown rapidly to date. Some of the products are reusable cloth pads, reusable cloth pantyliners, menstrual cups, period panties, babies’ reusable cloth diapers, and organic cotton disposable sanitary napkins.

Its target audience is particularly large, from economically disadvantaged women in rural areas to generation z. 

“It is planning to expand its offering and continue to add sustainable products to its matrix. Thus, it decides to march forward, making a far-reaching and lasting impact,” Dhelia stated. 

What the Future Holds? 

The brand aims to become a well-poised leader in the feminine hygiene and personal care space. It decides to add more products and do R&D in other segments before stepping into them. In addition, the company claims to have empowered approximately 37,500 menstruators with better health and hygiene and would like to grow this by 10X in the next two years. 

“I am very excited and waiting for the future to unfold. We plan to add more products to our matrix and already researching and developing sustainable breast pads, reusable makeup remover, intimate wash, toilet seat sanitizer, tampons, and eventually branch out to cosmetic and beauty products,” Dhelia unveiled. 

It is still in the early days and is planning to achieve various milestones in the course. With the zeal of making a difference and disrupting the market, the company will certainly grow manifold in the offing.