Could sisal leaves make sanitary napkins more sustainable in India? Premium

Stanford scientists develop environmentally sustainable absorbent material from sisal leaves to replace cotton in sanitary napkins, potentially reducing period poverty.

The ancient Aztec and Mayan civilisations were perhaps the first to begin making paper out of sisal leaves. Since then, the stiff, green sword-like leaves have been used to make twine, cloth, and carpets. The plant itself is also used to make mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage.

Now, in a move to make menstrual hygiene products more environmentally sustainable, scientists at Stanford University have reported a method to produce from sisal leaves a “highly absorbent and retentive material”.

As a result, the researchers posit in their Nature Communications Engineering paper, the material can potentially replace cotton, wood pulp, and chemical absorbents in sanitary napkins.

The absorption capacity of the material is higher than those found in commercial menstrual pads, they add.

The study’s authors also claim that their method uses no polluting or toxic chemicals, can be carried out locally at a small scale, and is environmentally sustainable.

Led by associate professor of bioengineering Manu Prakash, the team is currently working with a Nepal-based non-governmental organisation to test whether their method can be scaled up to mass produce sanitary napkins and meet the growing demand for low-cost and ‘green’ menstrual hygiene products.

In 2022, the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University reported that there has been a significant rise in the number of people using hygienic methods – i.e. sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups – to manage their menstruation in India.