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Pioneering period positivity with sustainable femcare
CategoriesSustainable News

Pioneering period positivity with sustainable femcare

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to a survey conducted by Plan International, more than one in three boys believe periods should be kept a secret, believing menstruation to be an ’embarrassing’ topic. It’s unsurprising, then, that researchers suspect that ‘period positivity’ is declining. If negative stigma isn’t tackled, it will remain challenging for women’s health concerns to receive the attention they deserve from societies and medical systems. At the same time, advocates for universal free period care products report a rise in demand for supplies as the global economy continues to react to inflation and political instability. 

In the Netherlands, period care company Yoni provides healthy, non-toxic menstrual products, and works to raise the profile of campaigners who are normalising periods and other aspects of female reproductive healthcare. 

The company’s goal is to provide menstruators of any age with products that are good for the body and the environment. The period and incontinence underwear and menstrual cups are all available in a range of sizes and absorbencies. Menstrual cups are made from medical-grade silicone and are 100 per cent plastic-, latex-, and BPA-free. Many Yoni products contain organic cotton and are biodegradable, and each pack of tampons and pads contains a code for tracing the source of the cotton used in that batch. 

The company also offers customers the option to gift a pack of period care products to the charity Armoedefonds. And, as part of Yoni’s campaign to raise awareness of menstruation and break down misconceptions, the company features an online gallery of Game Changers that highlights various individuals who champion positive-impact social campaigns. The gallery provides information and resources for getting involved in the campaigns.  

Yoni currently ships products across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and plans to expand availability as soon as possible.  

Other innovations from Springwise’s library that are making it easier for women to access relevant healthcare and products include a digital health clinic specifically for women and last-mile access and delivery of women’s health products.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

A discreet pad to alleviate period pain
CategoriesSustainable News

A discreet pad to alleviate period pain

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In 2017, Dutch researchers conducted what was then the largest study of menstruating women and found that those who worked lost nearly nine days of productivity a year due to period pain. Much of that loss of productivity was due to presenteeism; showing up for work despite not feeling well and being unable to complete tasks at the same rate. Since then, campaigners in several countries, including the UK and Spain, are working to make period pain a recognised healthcare issue.  

Many doctors, of course, have heard first-hand accounts of the pain women feel during their period, and it is from years of listening to patients that the pain relieving Myoovi patch was created. Designed to fit discreetly under clothing and stay in place for as long as desired, the Myoovi device uses electrical nerve stimulation to reduce pain almost instantly. 

Myoovi is a mobile TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine, providing the same pain relief patients would get in hospital. Large butterfly patches hold the electrical device in place, either on the back or abdomen, and users adjust the intensity of the stimulation by pushing a button. A single charge generally lasts between five and 10 hours.  

Available in three skin tones, the butterfly patches generally work for two to three months, after which the stickiness tends to reduce. Users can buy the device and patches as a one-off or sign up to a subscription service. 

Making menstruation products more affordable and accessible is the goal of many innovators. Springwise has spotted a new way to clean reusable period pads, as well as an ad campaign that highlights some of the many experiences people go through as part of the menstruation process.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Smith Mordak named CEO of UKGBC at “critical period” for sector
CategoriesSustainable News

Smith Mordak named CEO of UKGBC at “critical period” for sector

By Zarkon Group,

The UK Green Building Council has announced that architect and Dezeen columnist Smith Mordak will become the charity’s chief executive officer.

Mordak will be leaving their current role as the director of sustainability and physics at British engineering firm Buro Happold to take up the full-time advocacy role and help the UK’s built environment sector to halve its emissions by 2030.

“We look forward to their leadership of the team in this critical period for taking urgent and effective action to limit and reverse environmental degradation,” said Sunand Prasad, the chair of UKGBC’s board of trustees.

“Smith combines a deep, science-based and systemic understanding of the climate emergency with a clear-sighted, principled and pragmatic approach for what needs to be done in response.”

“Our actions over the next few years will have an outsized impact”

Mordak is a multi-award-winning architect and engineer, having co-founded London firms Interrobang and Studio Weave before going on to work at Buro Happold.

Alongside this, Mordak has a long-standing history in driving industry action on climate change, as a board member of the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, a former design advocate for London mayor Sadiq Khan and a steering committee member at climate action group Architects Declare.

Hoover Building by Interrobang
Smith Mordak (top) is an architect and engineer known for award-winning projects such as the residential conversion of London’s Hoover Building (above)

As a nationally elected councillor at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), they also edited the landmark Built for the Environment report that was published by RIBA and Architects Declare ahead of COP27.

“We live in existentially challenging times,” Mordak said. “Our actions over the next few years will have an outsized impact on the Earth’s ecosystems and on many generations to come.”

“I’m honoured that I’ll be playing my part in this crucial period as part of this powerful change-making coalition.”

UKGBC also names new deputy chief executive

Mordak will be taking over the role from Julie Hirigoyen in June, who last year announced her decision to step down after more than eight years at the helm.

“My decision to stand down was a challenging one,” Hirigoyen said at the time. “But I believe that fresh direction will allow for an infusion of new creative ideas at a pivotal moment in time, ahead of the step-change required to 2030.”

UKGBC set out a new strategy for 2025 just last May, in recognition of the fact that more ambitious short-term targets need to be set to help the industry halve its emissions by 2030 and stabilise global warming around the crucial 1.5-degree threshold.

The charity is also promoting Simon McWhirter, its current director of communications, policy and places, to deputy chief executive to strengthen his role ahead of the UK’s next general election.

In his new role, McWhirter will have a “laser focus across international, national and local policy work”, UKGBC said.

Previously, Mordak has reported on two different Conferences of the Parties for Dezeen – both COP26 and COP27 – as well as penning opinion pieces on everything from strategies for passively cooling buildings to the green jobs transition.



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