Need a green menstrual products policy: India is entering a decisive phase in its effort to balance environmental responsibility with menstrual equity. The country faces a dual challenge: ensuring menstrual dignity while curbing the environmental burden of non-biodegradable sanitary waste. Despite the success of awareness campaigns that have improved hygiene practices, India still lacks a comprehensive green menstrual products policy — one that supports biodegradable alternatives and addresses period poverty.
A national mission linking menstrual health, sustainability, and gender equality could transform both women’s lives and India’s environmental trajectory. Such a policy would bridge the gap between hygiene access and ecological responsibility, offering a model of inclusive green governance.
READ I Why India-China trade thaw revives the RCEP debate
The menstrual health gap
Globally, more than 800 million women are menstruating each day, yet around 500 million lack access to menstrual products and proper hygiene management, according to the World Bank (2022). India, with its 1.4 billion people, represents a significant share of this unmet need. The absence of safe, affordable, green menstrual products not only affects women’s health but also hinders their participation in education and the workforce.
Data from WHO and UNICEF (2023) reveal that only 39 per cent of schools worldwide offer menstrual health facilities. Girls who lack access to clean facilities often miss classes, perpetuating gender inequality. A World Bank study found that providing menstrual cups reduced school dropout rates from four to one per cent, decreased bacterial vaginosis by 41 per cent, and lowered transactional sex among adolescent girls. These numbers illustrate that menstrual health is not a hygiene issue alone; it is a development imperative that affects education, productivity, and human capital.
Why a green menstrual products programme
A green menstrual products programme would merge environmental responsibility with women’s health and economic empowerment. Biodegradable pads and menstrual cups reduce plastic waste and are far more cost-effective over time than disposable pads. While a single non-biodegradable pad can take up to 800 years to decompose, a reusable cup lasts for several years and produces negligible waste.
The World Bank emphasises that multi-sector strategies combining sanitation infrastructure, education, and product availability yield the strongest results. Awareness campaigns led by schools, community health workers, and self-help groups can break taboos and normalise sustainable menstrual practices.
The economic argument is equally persuasive. Studies suggest that reducing period poverty in India could boost GDP by about 2.7 per cent — roughly $86 billion annually — by retaining girls in school and women in employment. Yet the country’s shift from unsafe traditional methods to commercial pads, though a health improvement, has multiplied non-biodegradable waste. This rebound effect — solving one problem while aggravating another — demands a systemic response.
Bridging India’s urban–rural divide
Access to menstrual products in India is uneven. Urban women are rapidly adopting sustainable products, while rural areas lag due to limited retail networks, cultural barriers, and weak supply chains. A national green menstrual products policy must adapt to this geography of inequality.
Successful state-level initiatives offer valuable lessons. Jharkhand’s Udaan project and Kerala’s ShePad scheme have demonstrated how targeted distribution through schools and community networks can raise awareness and improve hygiene outcomes. Extending such models nationwide, supported by ASHA and Anganwadi workers, would ensure that rural and tribal women are not left behind in this transition.
Role of start-ups and private innovation
India’s growing ecosystem of menstrual health start-ups shows that private innovation can complement public policy. Companies such as Saathi, Carmesi, and Sparkle have pioneered compostable pads and silicone cups tailored to local needs. Encouraging these enterprises through tax incentives, green finance channels, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds would align menstrual equity with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India ambitions.
Public–private partnerships could scale up domestic manufacturing of biodegradable materials, reduce imports, and generate employment in rural areas where natural fibres are sourced. Such convergence of policy and entrepreneurship would make the initiative self-sustaining over time.
Economic and environmental payoffs
The case for a green menstrual transition rests on three strong pillars: affordability, productivity, and ecological savings.
At the household level, menstrual products represent a recurring expense that strains low-income families. A reusable menstrual cup costing ₹300 can replace hundreds of disposable pads, allowing families to redirect spending to essentials such as food, education, and healthcare.
At the macroeconomic level, inadequate menstrual hygiene management reduces female labour participation and lowers productivity. The World Bank (2022) estimates that well-designed menstrual health programs deliver returns within three to five years by improving education, health, and workforce outcomes.
The environmental benefits are equally compelling. India disposes of over 12 billion sanitary pads annually, most containing plastics that persist for centuries. Shifting to biodegradable alternatives would cut landfill volumes, reduce water contamination, and help India meet its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Designing a green menstrual policy framework
An effective green menstrual products policy #must integrate subsidies, quality control, and waste management within a unified framework. A tiered subsidy model could provide free biodegradable products for Below Poverty Line families, partial subsidies for low-income groups, and moderate support for middle-income households. Distribution through existing public-health networks would minimise administrative costs and ensure last-mile reach.
Quality assurance is equally vital. The government should set biodegradability and safety standards while rewarding compliant manufacturers with tax rebates and research grants. Collaboration between universities, private firms, and public agencies can foster innovations that use locally sourced materials and create jobs.
Waste management remains the weakest link. Integrating community composting and menstrual waste segregation into the Swachh Bharat Mission can make disposal culturally sensitive and environmentally sound. Education campaigns led by local women can challenge taboos and build social ownership of the program.
Financing and institutional mechanism
For long-term sustainability, the government should establish a National Menstrual Health and Sustainability Fund under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The fund could pool state allocations, CSR contributions, and international climate finance from mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund.
Performance should be tracked through annual sustainability audits measuring waste reduction, product affordability, and school attendance among girls. Integrating menstrual health indicators into NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index would add accountability and spur inter-state competition.
From pilot to national rollout
The transition should begin with pilot projects for green menstrual products in fifty districts representing diverse social and geographic conditions. These pilots would test different subsidy models and product types, generating data for national expansion. Over the medium term, India can build manufacturing capacity for biodegradable goods through public–private partnerships.
By 2030, universal access to affordable, eco-friendly menstrual products should become a national goal, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and India’s Paris climate commitments. This approach would show how gender equality and environmental stewardship can reinforce each other.
India’s demographic dividend depends on empowering young women to participate fully in the economy. A freen menstrual products policy is both a health initiative and a sustainability strategy. It demonstrates that economic growth, environmental protection, and social justice need not be competing priorities.
The challenge now is not whether India should act, but how decisively it will do so. With evidence, innovation, and political will, the country can lead the world in sustainable menstrual health governance. Our daughters deserve menstrual cycles that are safe, affordable, and eco-friendly—a future where dignity and sustainability flow together.
Dr Lakshay Sharma, Assistant Professor at CHRIST University Delhi NCR Campus.