Whatever you want to call it...
If you are anything like me, the last thing you will want to spend time thinking about is your sanitary protection, feminine hygiene, or whatever other euphemism springs to mind.
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| Sea Urchins have nothing to do with tampons, but this blog post was a little difficult to illustrate! |
Tampons: a textile product
I confess that beyond safe disposal, I haven't given a thought to the ecology of tampons, so when I grabbed a box in a discount supermarket I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed the Oeko-Tex 100 Standard on the box. Of course these things are made from cotton, and therefore we should be concerned about where that cotton comes from.
And after all, due to the intimate way we use these products, shouldn't we be diligent about ensuring they do not contain harmful chemicals...? Now, I have absolutely no proof that more mainstream brands of tampons contain chemicals, but I don't see them rushing to reassure us that they are not.
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| Don't flush them or they will end up here! |
The Oeko-Tex Standard
In case you are not familiar with the Oeko-Tex standard, it is an assurance that the product has been thoroughly and independently tested for legal and illegal harmful substances. The end use of the product and the intensity of the contact it will have with the skin is taken into account then applying the test criteria. Again this is reassuring given that we are talking about tampons.
The Oeko-Tex 100 is not a comprehensive test for all-round ethical production (it is not a fair trade or organic certification), but, it is a lot better than having no assurances at all. And if there are no nasty chemicals in the end product, that's a good sign that the environment has been respected along the production process.
You can read more about the Oeko-Tex standard here.
Best Brands of Eco Tampons:
Lidl's own 'Siempre' brand of tampons, then, seem like a good bet- well done Lidl! However, if you don't shop in Lidl here are some alternatives:
Natracare, soil association certified organic cotton tampons, available from Greenfibres (don't forget to use PIXIE10 discount code): click here
Organyc applicator cotton tampons, available from Natural Collection (click banner to the left)
Veeda natural cotton sanitary products, available from Boots
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