Despite over 20% of menstruating people living in India, openly discussing periods is uncommon as it is stigmatised (Garikipati et al., 2019). As a result, many women/menstruators lack the necessary knowledge of how to take care of themselves while experiencing their periods. Reportedly only 55% of women in India believe that menstruating is normal (Dasra, 2019). Due to this lack of education, women who menstruate in India often end up using unhygienic methods. According to The Ministry of Health, as little as 12% of women in India have access to sanitary napkins (Dasra, 2019). The majority relies on the unhygienic method of using traditional cloth or just bleeding into their clothes because it is more affordable. Due to ineffective menstruation products, young women/menstruators have to stay home during their period and miss out on school and other activities (Dasra, 2019).

For those who can afford it, sanitary pads are the preferred menstrual product in India as they are considered the most hygienic method (Garikipati, 2020). Tampon use is not encouraged due to cultural taboos around vaginal insertion (Garikipati, 2020). While it's true that sanitary pads are more hygienic than using one's clothes or cloth instead of a menstrual product, there is also a lack of facilities for women/people who menstruate to dispose of these pads. This results in women often wearing menstrual products for longer than they should, which can lead to infections and other health risks (Dasra, 2019). This lack of facilities also means that most menstrual pads are disposed of in waterways due to convenience (Sharma et al., 2020).

Although single-use menstrual products are hygienic and safe when used correctly, they are not a sustainable option due to the immense amount of waste they create. Annually, approximately 480 billion sanitary pads are disposed of worldwide (van Eijk et al., 2019). India alone produces around 113,000 tonnes of menstrual waste a year (Dasra, 2019). To fully decompose this amount could take over 250 years (Dasra, 2019). There are a few sustainable menstrual products on the market, including reusable sanitary pads, period underwear and menstrual cups. An investigation into why young women/menstruators in India were not using sustainable menstrual hygiene products revealed that it was due to a lack of education about such products as well as a lack of access (Garikipati, 2020). The cost factor would also prevent many women from purchasing reusable products because the upfront cost is usually higher than disposable sanitary products. However, over time reusable products cost less as there is only one payment for a product that can last for several years. Another reason women/menstruators may refrain from switching to sustainable menstrual products is it may be inconvenient to change what products they use if it requires different care.

Our team identified that the following SDGs were affected:

That's why we decided to create Susanaari to target the barriers that women/menstruators in India are facing that are preventing them from accessing affordable, hygienic and sustainable menstruation products. We decided to focus on reaching teenagers and young women from the ages of 12-25 years due to the fact that they have to miss out on their education because of a lack of suitable products and because we can work together with schools to help educate and provide them with products.