In India, a staggering twelve billion used sanitary napkins are generated annually, with an overwhelming 98% ending up in landfills and waterways. Conventional disposal methods like landfilling or incineration pose severe environmental and health risks, such as soil degradation, crop failures, and waterborne diseases. Recognizing these challenges, Padcare has developed an innovative recycling system that offers a smokeless method for safely disposing of and recycling used sanitary napkins, mitigating these risks.

To evaluate the environmental impacts of Padcare’s menstrual waste management system, Monk Spaces conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA). The evaluation adhered to the ISO 14040/14044 standards and PCR 2010:08 requirements for the PadCareX Recycling System, ensuring a robust and credible assessment. The impact was assessed regarding the core environmental impact indicators (like global warming and water deprivation), natural resource use parameters, waste categories parameters, and output flows.

Monk Spaces defined the system boundaries to encompass the entire recycling system lifecycle. This system included the PadCareX machine, manual FHUs (Female hygiene units), sensor-based FHUs (both manual and sensor-based), storage boxes, chemicals, and the production of cellulose and plastic. While the system comprises multiple components, each was assessed individually, and the results were scaled up to represent the whole system operating in Pune. It factored in transport distances, the number of Padcare bins, and processing units. This approach helped identify potential hotspots and areas for improvement.

Monk Spaces collected data, leveraging primary sources like manufacturer specifications and on-site consumption numbers. Technical specifications and data sheets were obtained from the equipment and systems manufacturers under evaluation. This included details such as the material composition, quantities of raw materials required for manufacturing different components, and energy consumption rates during various manufacturing and operational phases. Secondary data was sourced from internationally accepted databases like Ecoinvent. The comprehensive data collection process ensured all aspects of the system were included in the assessment.

The study developed key performance indicators to evaluate the impacts of the system. One such indicator was the global warming potential per kilogram of processed sanitary pads (kgCO₂e/kg). The indicator was estimated for each stage of the life cycle and also for the entire life cycle. The assessment results were also analyzed to identify the key contributors to environmental impact. The assessment also compared the differences in the environmental impact of manual and sensor-based FHUs. This comparison aimed to provide insights for informed decision-making.

Monk Spaces created an estimator tool for Padcare, allowing them to modify parameters such as the number of FHUs, PadCareX machines, transportation distances, and other variables. This estimator empowered Padcare to explore different scenarios and estimate how the results change. The estimator can also estimate the impact of Padcare’s venture into newer cities. Such a tool can facilitate a deeper understanding of the system’s environmental impact and identify reduction opportunities.

To contextualize the impacts of Padcare’s solution, the assessment compared the system’s impacts with conventional disposal methods such as incineration and landfilling. The benefits of recycling sanitary napkins, recovering water, and avoiding landfilling and incineration were also quantified. Based on the LCA results, Monk Spaces recommended emission reduction strategies. Furthermore, Monk Spaces conducted sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, where applicable, to assess the robustness of the results and identify potential areas for further investigation or improvement.

Through this comprehensive LCA, Monk Spaces provided insights into the environmental impacts of the recycling system. The findings highlight the significant potential of Padcare’s technology in reducing emissions from menstrual waste disposal compared to conventional methods in India.