What unites all women across the globe? The menstrual cycle, of course. Given how common periods are in our day-to-day lives, not to mention the fact that they’ve been around since the beginning of humanity, you’d think we’d have it all figured out by now. Unfortunately, we don’t. Menstrual hygiene products are not only often too expensive, they’re also pretty bad for our planet.

This is where Sparkle comes in. The company was founded in 2017 by power couple Hetal and Chirag Virani, who together figured out a way to make an affordable and biodegradable pad.

“After completing college, I realized that there are many girls who can’t afford menstrual hygiene products,” says Hetal.

The deal with the period in India, for lack of a better word, sucks. American readers are already familiar with the jokes. When a woman disagrees or is feeling cranky, there’s always a man close enough to say, “get off the rag.” In India, it’s like that…but worse.

Photo courtesy of Hetal and Chirag Virani.

Not only is there a serious social stigma that shames women who are on their period (many aren’t allowed in the kitchen during that time of the month), menstrual hygiene products like pads are hard to come by for a large portion of the female population. Many girls are left unable to afford them and resort to less hygienic products, which can lead to rashes and infections, and you guessed it, there’s a whole other problem with access to women’s health. And many other girls can’t get access to products at all. Catastrophically, you’re then left with a portion of the population who is dropping out of school or missing days at work.

“Not having access to menstrual hygiene products can have an impact on the social and economic impact on a girl’s life,” argues Chirag.

Chirag, a self-proclaimed global citizen, took a gap year in between his studies in Canada to travel the world and volunteer at orphanages in countries like India, Kenya, and South Africa. That’s when he learned about the gravity of the situation, and what happens to a girl when she doesn’t have access to menstrual hygiene products. Though he recognized the problem, he was waiting for the right moment to act. That moment eventually came when Hetal presented the idea to Chirag, and together, they decided to go for it.

“There comes a point where you feel like there’s never going to be a right time or the right place, until you actually just say, okay this is it, and do it,” he said.

They started by creating a non-governmental organization that delivered pads to communities that needed them. Conventional pads, however, are mostly made from plastic and take up to 800 years to biodegrade. In fixing one problem, they were unfortunately contributing to another.

“We wanted to come up with a solution with which we could not only solve the social and cultural problem but also create something that is sustainable, environmentally friendly, and could also help reduce agricultural waste and give farmers an opportunity to earn extra income.”

And that’s how Sparkle was born. Its pads are fully biodegradable, made from bamboo fiber, banana fiber, and corn starch. Not only are they safe for women to use, but they biodegrade in six months of disposal. On top of all of that, they’re helping farmers out AND eliminating agricultural waste. A banana tree grows rapidly in nine to twelve months, but once the fruit is harvested, the tree is useless. Farmers either burn it down or pay extra to get it removed from their farms. By selling these stems to Sparkle, farmers can earn a little extra income and lessen the agro waste.

Since starting the company, our power couple spent two years in product development. In December of 2019 they moved on to manufacturing, now having the capacity to make 700 pads per minute. They have patents pending for both the machine and the pad, which is already available for sale in the Indian market.

Their next step is making the product available in the United States and Europe, before going global. Tech start-ups in San Francisco are already excited, and if all continues to go well, American clients can look forward to switching over to this biodegradable option in no time.

Follow Sparkle on Instagram and Facebook at @sparklelifeofficial and on Twitter at @JoinSparkleLife.

Located in India? If you buy a box of pads from Sparkle today, the company will donate a box to a woman in need.

Meet the Couple Revolutionizing Menstrual Hygiene in India