Working with engineers at the Harvard Innovation Lab, Asan developed an innovative reusable menstrual cup. The Asan cup is the best solution to our stated problem for three reasons. First, it is extremely affordable: a single cup costs $25 and can be reused for 10 years (the average consumer spends up to $1,500 on pads/tampons in the same time period). Secondly, it is made from medical grade silicone which is extremely safe. Thirdly, it is the world’s most eco-friendly period solution: every cup averts more than 2,500 pads/tampons (plus their plastic packaging) from ending up in landfill.
Additionally, Asan aims to have an impact by narrowing the gender gaps in school attendance and workforce participation. The NGO Dasra reports that 23 percent of adolescent girls drop out of school each year due to their inability to manage periods. Similarly, millions of women in India miss out on important days of work each month during their period. Menstrual cups are ideal as the allow continued participation in daily activities because they maximise privacy and discreteness. The act of purchasing pads or hanging cloths to dry gives women serious anxiety, based on the existent taboo around menstruation.
Ultimately, Asan provides impact by reducing the access gap between high-income women who can afford period care, and low-income women who are forced to rely on unhygienic methods. Asan achieves this via our 1-for-1 donation scheme, where for every cup they sell, they provide one for free to a woman or girl who cannot afford period products. The distribution of these donated cups is done through partnerships with trusted women’s NGOs, which also provide education and training activities in several local languages.