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Women Are Raving About Sainsbury's New 'Period Pants'

Lauren Bell

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Women Are Raving About Sainsbury's New 'Period Pants'

Featured Image Credit: Love Luna

It is not something anyone enjoys, that time of the month where we are hormonal and back and forth to the loo to change our sanitary products. Periods are exhausting.

But not only are they an irritation for us ladies, they are a real burden on the environment too, which is why Sainsbury's is selling period pants - and people are raving about the concept.

The pants, created by Love Luna, work on the basis that they are lined with an absorbent padded gusset that is in place of a pad or tampon. Once finished with, the whole pair of pants can be washed and used up to 50 times.

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This means they are much more sustainable than a single use tampon or pad - and some of the styles hold up to eight tampons' worth of blood.

And whilst they are mainly being marketed as being much more convenient, with fewer leaks and problems than with usual sanitary products, they are also more environmentally-friendly. That's because typical products are either made from plastic or wrapped in plastic, so people are rejoicing that the pants will help in every respect.

One took to Instagram to reply to Sainsbury's to say of the idea "this is fantastic" while another added "fantastic sainsburys, environmentally friendly and convenient! Hitting it out of the park again!".

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People are pleased there is a new affordable range of period pants (Credit: Instagram)
People are pleased there is a new affordable range of period pants (Credit: Instagram)

While many tampons themselves are often made from biodegradable organic cotton, what nobody tells you is that it can take six months for them to actually break down.

But worse, a typical sanitary towel can take up to 500 years to decompose, according to The Marine Conservation Society. Plus, one pack of sanitary pads is the estimated equivalent of five plastic bags, according to research carried out by Natracare.

We all know single-use bags are terrible for the environment, yet this fact is shocking but lesser known.

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And worse still is a tampon applicator. Cardboard ones are ideal, as they are recyclable. But a study by the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has shown that applicators as well as the plastic back-strip on towels are the worst when it comes to environmental impacts of periods.

Plastics that take hundreds of years to break down end up in our oceans and on our beaches (Credit: Pxfuel)
Plastics that take hundreds of years to break down end up in our oceans and on our beaches (Credit: Pxfuel)

It is because they are made from low-density polyethylene (plastic that is not recyclable) which requires high levels of fossil fuel to break down. In plain English, that means it has a high carbon footprint and therefore contributes heavily to global warming.

But not only are the materials used terrible, there are just so many of them. According to the Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, approximately 700,000 panty liners, 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million sanitary towels are flushed down the loo everyday.

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These end up in our oceans contaminating them.

According to the European Commission, sanitary products are the fifth most common item found on Europe's beaches.

And City to Sea has explained that a million seabirds and over 100,000 marine mammals are killed every year due to plastic debris.

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To top it off, plastic has been found inside over 60 per cent of seabirds and 100 per cent of sea turtles.

It's distressing news, but putting your products in the bin is no good either as it will simply fill up landfills.

So the only way around it is to look at something more sustainable.

Whilst Mooncups are now a huge deal, with many women turning to the soft, medical-grade silicone menstrual cup that sits inside the vagina, it really isn't everyone's cup of tea.

By buying more sustainable sanitary options such as Love Luna pants, you will have less of an impact on the environment (Credit: Sainsbury's)
By buying more sustainable sanitary options such as Love Luna pants, you will have less of an impact on the environment (Credit: Sainsbury's)

Whilst we know many women who use them successfully, it is not something that appeals to a wider audience, which is where Love Luna pants has stepped in.

Not only do they claim to prevent pesky leaks thanks to four layers of protection, some of the styles will take five - eight tampon's worth of blood (the workout and maternity options). Whilst for lighter days, other styles take up to 15ml, which equates to two - three tampon's worth.

They have been designed in black cotton too, to make them look like normal underwear on the outside and have been finished with antibacterial and anti-odour protection.

You can wave goodbye to pesky tampons in favour of period pants (Credit: Unsplash)
You can wave goodbye to pesky tampons in favour of period pants (Credit: Unsplash)

Because you can wash them up to 50 times, you will dramatically decrease your carbon footprint, in comparison to regular sanitary items.

They are available in sizes 8-16 and at just £10-£12 per pair, you save money in the long run too.

Leading brands of sanitary towels and tampons can cost as much as £2-£3.50 per pack, which across a lifetime will take its toll on the purse strings.

They are discreet so nobody will know you're wearing period pants (Credit: Tu at Sainsbury's)
They are discreet so nobody will know you're wearing period pants (Credit: Tu at Sainsbury's)

Better for the environment, better for your purse strings and supposedly less leaks too, what's not to love?

You can shop them at Tu at Sainsbury's here.

Topics: You, sainsbury's, Health

Lauren Bell
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