Of all the reasons why girls in developing countries don’t go to school, biology shouldn’t be one of them. But simply not having access to or purchasing sanitary pads—often called “period poverty”—can cause some girls to miss 20% of their school days. Even in Kenya, where girls are supposed to receive free sanitary pads in schools thanks to a government initiative, they aren’t always provided.
Stanford researchers, in collaboration with Kenyan engineers, have developed a method for producing high-quality, fluffy pulp from sisal fibers for use in sanitary pads. By disclosing their method, the team hopes to spur the development of environmentally friendly, biodegradable sanitary pads that are produced on a small scale, locally (and therefore more affordable).
“You can imagine a small factory — maybe the size of a local brewery — producing 5,000 to 10,000 sanitary napkins a day using only biological material as an input and only biological material as an output,” said Manu Prakash, an associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford University.
Drought-resistant and even invasive in some areas, sisal is now grown on marginal lands for use as rope, twine and livestock feed. The researchers note that the chemicals used in the process are readily available and can be recycled or broken down into carbon dioxide and water.
The research was published in the journal Communications Engineering in November 2023. The team created the Plant Growing Alliance to share knowledge between entrepreneurs, academic groups, and other organizations fighting period poverty.