What are the environmental benefits of period underwear?

Did you know that a woman uses an average of 11,000 disposable period products in her lifetime? Every year, 45 billion tampons and pads end up in landfills or the oceans, where they can take up to 500 years to decompose. And that’s without even mentioning their often questionable composition: plastics, pesticides, endocrine disruptors…

Fortunately, there’s a healthy, budget-friendly and eco-conscious alternative: period underwear. At Louloucup, we’ve reinvented intimate protection to make it 100% reusable, toxin-free and planet-friendly. In this article, we explain why and how period panties are the zero-waste solution for your period!

So between greenwashing and genuine efforts for the planet, how can you really know what the environmental benefits of menstrual panties are? Is your favorite period underwear brand truly eco-friendly? In what way is absorbent underwear better for the planet and nature than a tampon?

Today, we’re chatting about ecology, plastic, the planet and recycling. Something that concerns every one of us!

Faced with the plastic continent (the vortex of waste floating in the North Pacific Ocean), our overflowing bins, and the pollution from microplastics in our air, our water (and even our clouds), every action (even the smallest) counts! 

The ecological transition happens in our daily lives when we buy an electric car, choose the train over the plane, etc. These eco-friendly efforts, some more accessible than others, are really important. They can also extend to our intimate lives and, in particular, to our menstrual cycle and period routine by avoiding single-use disposable menstrual products that pollute.  

• The Louloucup organic menstrual panty generates no plastic and/or non-recyclable waste. No plastic packaging, no plastic strips, nothing to throw away when you take it off! Menstrual lingerie is durable: you rinse it, wash it and reuse it cycle after cycle, year after year. It’s truly an everyday zero-waste product that we love for its simplicity and practicality (as is often the case with zero-waste products).
  
  
• In this way, menstrual lingerie is the complete opposite of all disposable menstrual products like disposable pads, tampons or panty liners, which can only be used once and must be thrown away after use.
  
  
• Eco-friendly period panties are therefore perfect for anyone wanting to reduce their waste and plastic consumption in particular. Washable, hygienic lingerie is ideal for those who are sensitive to plastic pollution. By choosing durable, reusable items, we pollute less.
  
  
• At Louloucup, our packaging is minimal and mainly made from recyclable materials.

When we say long-lasting period protection, we mean washable. For optimal care, organic menstrual panties need a gentle wash:

• a cold-water rinse, 
• a short machine cycle at max 30°C with an extra-gentle detergent, free from harsh chemicals, 
• air drying.

In short, you need to follow an eco-friendly washing routine with no overly hot water and no harsh chemicals. This is essential for your eco period panties to keep all their absorbent power. They contain technical fabrics that need special care.

Moreover, for effective care of your reusable menstrual panties, neither the dryer nor the iron is necessary. Simple air drying is best. This way, you save electricity and energy.

Knowing that the textile and fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, we at Louloucup wanted to do everything we could to limit our environmental and carbon impact. Several measures have been taken and are applied so that Louloucup’s reusable menstrual products (menstrual cups, period swimsuits and period panties) and all our activities respect our environment and our planet as much as possible.

Our menstrual cups are made in France. 100% French and local. 80% of our menstrual panties are made in Portugal, a European country renowned for its textile expertise. 

By focusing on local production, we drastically reduce our carbon footprint compared to other brands that produce entirely in China. By choosing Europe over India or China, we also ensure decent working conditions for employees in the workshops. 

Without a doubt, this is Louloucup’s greatest strength: the inside of all our period panties is lined with GOTS-certified organic cotton. Choosing a natural, organic fabric was a top priority for us.

We have chosen road transport rather than air freight to ship our precious eco-friendly menstrual panties from Portugal. Knowing the carbon impact of air freight, road transport, while still polluting, is always a more responsible choice than flying.

If you’ve already ordered from us, you may have noticed that the packaging for our period panties as well as for our menstrual cups is made from recyclable cardboard and paper. This is a given for us. 

A simple but important reminder that helps preserve our resources and all living beings on our planet: all Louloucup products are vegan and certified cruelty-free. No animal fibers or animal-derived materials are used in the making of our menstrual products.

Here’s a recap of all the environmental benefits of period underwear: