Birla Cellulose Teams Up with Go-Natura to Create Sustainable Sanitary Pads

Birla Cellulose teams up with GoNatura, a Bengaluru-based sanitary pad brand, to produce cost-effective and environment-friendly sanitary pads using the Viscose-based Purocel EcoDry fibre as a top-sheet in their GoNatura sanitary pads. 

With the mission to overcome the environmental consequences endured due to the global consumption of plastic-based single-use sanitary pads and curb the ecological damage through plastic-free natural sanitary pads available at an affordable price, the Birla cellulose team has been working tirelessly with GoNatura to successfully integrate through multiple product trials in an effort to ensure smooth integration in their sanitary pads.

According to a study conducted by the Indian government, 121 million women use sanitary napkins in the country, and that multiplied by eight pads per cycle amounts to 1 billion pads per month and a staggering 12 billion pads each year which takes hundreds of years to decompose. 

The disposal of such plastic napkins has become a big matter of concern in the country and across the world. This is where Purocel Ecodry, a highly sustainable and environmentally friendly fibre from Birla Cellulose, plays a key role. Derived from wood pulp, Purocel Ecodry has been specially developed to make bio-degradable sanitary pads given the urgent need for course correction in the consumption of commercial non-biodegradable menstrual napkins.

Rahul Bansal, AVP, Sales, and Marketing – Non-woven, Birla Cellulose said, “Our primary objective behind the collaboration with GoNatura is to potentially avoid non-biodegradable waste and produce environmentally responsible hygiene products. This can be achieved by crafting a layer-by-layer approach to make a fully biodegradable sanitary napkin so we can showcase our pioneering efforts in filling the gap and addressing the need-state of a brand that produces environmentally responsible hygiene products. We believe in not only making menstruation a comfortable phase of life for women of the country but also helping save the environment and this can be achieved by the adoption of ‘green’ products in ushering a sustainable menstrual ecosystem in India.”

Purocel Ecodry, a specialty Viscose staple fibre, is perfectly suited for super soft nonwoven applications like sanitary pads that keep the user's skin dry at the same time while allowing fluids to get transferred to the core. The fibre is sustainable and fully biodegradable in nature, making it possible to have eco-friendly hygiene products meeting the required performance. Additionally, the hydrophilic properties present in the fibre have been carefully utilized to get the desired properties in the top sheet application of AHP’s like sanitary pads.

Kavitha Prakash, Founder and CEO, GoNatura stated, “With the aim of transforming the consumption of intimate hygiene products for women through an emphasis on plastic-free natural sanitary pads and making them accessible to the women of the country, We are trying to reduce the plastic waste from the earth by educating girls to switch to natural and sustainable GoNatura sanitary pads. With the help of Viscose Staple Fibre which is a hydrophilic fibre in nature, our innovation with Purocel EcoDry is not only carefully designed to create an optimum level of eco-friendly hygiene product but also fulfilling our mission towards Atmanirbhar Bharath.”