A feminist artisan fighting period poverty

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For Alessandra Cedri, self-determination rhymes with self-production: my body, my menstrual flow, and my handmade tampons – outside of market logic, and in line with feminist practices.

Washable and reusable vs. disposable: 1-0.

EcoFem, the line of fabric sanitary pads, pantyliners, and makeup remover pads, is among the most successful products manufactured by Lalepap, after the colorful masks with which the project was launched back during the first lockdown. Lalepap is Alessandra Cedri’s “handmade & recycled” brand, which also produces bags, cases, key rings, and other accessories.

This young Mediterranean woman, who was born in Milan, lived in Greece, and moved to Rome a few years ago, discloses that she considers herself an “artisan” and believes herself to fit the description perfectly, having taken the Fashion, Style, and Modeling course at the School of Arts and Crafts in Rome.

It all started “at a turning point in my life, which coincided with the onset of the pandemic,” she says, laughing. “I already liked to sew: Lalepap was launched as a project of self-production, of bottom-up production, with a view towards self-determination, and as a practice of resistance to the injunctions – both capitalist and patriarchal – set upon us by the world of commodities as we know it.”

Alessandra arrived at washable sanitary pads in a thoroughly feminist manner, starting from her own experience, knowing full well that the personal is political. “I was trying to find washable sanitary pads for myself, to reduce my ecological footprint. After buying and experimenting with some of them, I thought I could produce them myself. I made some prototypes that I gave out to my friends to test. That’s how the EcoFem line was born.”

Brightly colored on the outside and including two snap buttons to ensure perfect fastening to panties, “the washable pads I make have a white cotton interior, the part that is in contact with the skin. There is also bamboo sponge padding, which ensures maximum absorption. And white, luminosity-wise, limits the proliferation of bacteria,” Alessandra explains. “As for the outside, which must be waterproof, I use PUL cotton, which is a little rougher and therefore easier to stick to panties.”

PUL stands for Polyurethane Laminate Fabric. Fabric lamination is a waterproofing procedure that maintains the breathable characteristics of the fabric, making it perfect for washable sanitary pads.

But is it really true that you can save money by switching to these types of products? Alessandra proves it with a quick calculation: “One of my pads costs between 5 and 10 euros. I sell them in sets of 3, the amount needed for one day. If you buy more, you get those with a bit of a discount. Ideally, you’d have a dozen, which is more than enough for a regular cycle. It might feel like a significant expense, but remember, they last an average of 200 washes. So, if you invest 50 or 60 euros in washable pads, you’ll be set for… at least 15 years!”

Savings are guaranteed, “taking into account that we spend an average of 35 to 50 euros per year on disposable pads or tampons,” Alessandra adds. Not to mention the real ecological added value.

According to some calculations, a woman uses between 80 and 170 disposable pads per year. Considering that she will have her period for about 40 years, the number of pads (or tampons) ending up in landfills is between 3,200 and 6,800. If we multiply these numbers by the 30 million women in Italy alone, or by the billions of women around the world… the impact could be massive!

“A woman uses between 80 and 170 disposable pads per year… Considering that she will have her period for about 40 years, the number of pads (or tampons) ending up in landfills is between 3,200 and 6,800”

Alessandra also dismisses the objections made about the pollution resulting from washing reusable pads: “Fortunately, there are now soaps with reduced environmental impact at affordable prices. First, the pads need to be soaked in cold water to get the blood out, then they can be put in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry. Of course, they won’t remain bright white, but those making environmentally friendly choices aren't put off by lingering traces.”

EcoFem can attribute its success to the generation of young women, “and even the very young, girls of 13 or 14 choosing washable pads from their very first period.” Respectful of the future of the planet, they have spurred members of the Italian group of environmental activists, Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), to mobilize, in the context of the Fridays for Future movement initiated by Greta Thunberg.

For the new generations, menstrual blood is no longer a taboo: “They don’t think it’s problematic to wash their pads, because there’s a whole philosophy behind this gesture. But it is a lot more problematic for older women, for whom the advent of cellulose-based pads and tampons was seen as liberating from the basins hidden under sinks that some still remember.”

Despite Alessandra’s enthusiasm, fabric pads are still a niche product, as confirmed by her circuit of sales, which is essentially based on social media, online sales, and the artisanal markets that breathe life into cities on a more or less regular basis from spring through Christmas – especially on weekends.

“It does offer women an ideal solution to deal with period poverty, though: we can self-produce them practically anywhere in the world, using local fabrics, and the initial cost of purchasing the fabrics pays itself off over time. And it’s also a tool for self-determination: my body, my menstrual flow, outside of market logic,” Alessandra concludes.