About PadCare
The most commonly used menstrual product is a sanitary pad. In India alone, 12 billion of them are generated annually. Sanitary pads take almost 500-800 years to decompose, 98% of this waste ending up in landfills or incinerators. Additionally, sanitation workers often handle these pads manually due to a lack of segregation and face severe health hazards.
With 98% of this waste ending up in landfills or incinerators, sanitary pads take 500-800 years to decompose, posing a severe environmental threat. Small-scale incinerators further worsen the problem, releasing harmful gases like dioxins and furans that harm both the environment and human health.
PadCare’s approach to menstrual hygiene management is guided by the principles of the circular economy, which involves rethinking and reimagining the entire lifecycle of products.
PadCare addresses these challenges by:
- Offering organisations sustainable menstrual hygiene management solutions to ensure zero landfilling, reduced carbon emissions, and alignment with ESG goals.
- Applying patented 5D technology to recycle sanitary pads into reusable wood pulp and plastic sent for further processing.
- Promoting safe disposal practices and dignified working conditions for sanitation workers, eliminating manual handling of pads.
SI Lab’s Role in Mentoring PadCare
PadCare Labs was part of NCSI 2018, and we were winners in the urban category. Following this, we received mentorship and support as we progressed through the initial stages of product development. Looking back, through PIC, we have experienced the entire journey from Sub-Zero to One, including product manufacturing and connecting with the right vendors. I still recall working closely with Mr. Sanjay to develop our go-to-market strategy, understanding how our bins could be installed, and how the entire business and operational model could seamlessly integrate.
During the scaling phase, after product development, we collaborated with local vendor partners facilitated by PIC, allowing us to successfully pilot our initiative. Later, during our scaling journey, this partnership enabled us to install our products on the ground efficiently.
We received substantial mentorship, especially in terms of investment strategies. Mr. Sanjay was one of our early investors, offering invaluable guidance throughout our journey. Overall, SI Lab connected us with a strong network, provided effective advocacy, and ensured we received significant mentoring in both product development and investment strategies.
Impact
PadCare is now operational in 23 cities across India and has impacted over 8 lakh lives through end-to-end recycling services. Until now, we have recycled more than 49,60,000 pads and conserved more than 249 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.
About the Author
Ajinkya Dhariya is the founder of PadCare Labs. PadCare Labs was the finalist of the 6th National Conference on Social Innovation 2018 and was part of the SI Lab Mentorship Program (SEMP) cohort of 2019