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Assessing bio-based polymers as a sustainable alternative for disposable sanitary pads : A comparable life cycle assessment
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Researchers conducted a life cycle assessment comparing conventional petroleum-based sanitary pads against bio-based and fully biodegradable prototypes, finding that bio-based variants reduced overall environmental impact by more than 50% compared to conventional pads. While biodegradable options showed higher land use and acidification impacts, they significantly outperformed conventional pads across global warming, human toxicity, and fossil depletion categories.
This study presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of three sanitary pad variants to evaluate the environmental feasibility and potential of biodegradable and bio-based polymers in menstrual hygiene products. The assessed system includes a conventional petroleum-based pad, a bio-based pad prototype with polyethylene top and bottom layers (Current Scenario, CS), and a fully biodegradable bio-based pad prototype (Future Scenario, FS). The assessment was approached with a cradle-to-grave perspective using SimaPro software with the databases Ecoinvent 3 and Agri-footprint. The environmental impact was evaluated using the ReCipe 2016 Endpoint (H) impact assessment methodology across seven impact categories: global warming, human toxicity (non-cancerous and cancerous), ecotoxicity, acidification (terrestrial), eutrophication, mineraland fossil depletion, and land use. The results showed that both bio-based scenarios exhibited higher environmental impacts in acidification and land use. However, they significantly reduced environmental impacts in other categories compared to the conventional pad. Specifically in the impact categories global warming, human toxicity, mineral- and fossil depletion, as well as end-of-life waste emissions. The conventional pad exhibited the highest overall environmental impact, with a total normalised score more than 50% greater than the CS pad and nearly a twofold increase relative to the FS pad. When excluding land use and acidification, the bio-based WGAF core consistently outperformed the polyethylene-based core of the conventional pad, and the WG-based top and bottom layers incorporated in the FS pad exhibited clear environmental superiority over conventional polyethylene. This study highlights the promising potential for bio-based materials to contribute to a more circular menstrual hygiene industry.
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Sanitary pads are complex products containing a range of synthetic materials, including plastics and chemical additives, yet they remain largely underregulated for intimate-use safety. This review examines the composition of commercially available sanitary pads, the regulatory frameworks governing them, and emerging research on potential health implications of prolonged exposure to their components. Growing awareness of plastic and chemical exposure through menstrual products has prompted calls for greater transparency and stricter safety standards.
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