After an exciting Asian Pacific Final, She-Guard from Pakistan earned first place with their green business idea to turn agro-waste into biodegradable and plastic-free sanitary napkins. This start-up has a potential massive impact on climate sustainability and provides women with an essential sanitary product.
“I am so grateful!” Radiating an overwhelming mix of surprise and happiness, Mehreen Raza said she was “hopeful to help solve the entangled challenges of climate change, health issues and solid waste Pakistan is facing, by providing millions of women who are now lacking sanitary products with safe and green sanitary napkins.”
Smart use of banana crops
Pakistan is self-sufficient in the cultivation of Banana crops. Almost 35,000 tons of agro-waste is generated annually from this fruit. She-Guard made smart use of this and created biodegradable and eco-friendly sanitary pads out of this waste, for an affordable price.
Tackle basic right sustainably
Sanitary napkins play a huge role in worsening the situation in all three problem areas mentioned, as they are generally plastic, chemical-based and used by 23 million of 67 million Pakistani women. Besides this, there a social-economical problem: tens of millions other women do not have the luxury to hygienically manage their period as sanitary products are not available or not affordable for them. “She-Guard tackles both problems,” Raza explains. “We want all women to be able to enjoy the basic right to manage your period.”
Realistic and scalable green idea
The jury agreed and praised She-Guard for their realistic and scalable green business plan. They found it has the potential to make a massive impact on climate sustainability as well as social-economic situation of women around the world.
She-Guard will use the prize money linked to the victory in this green competition for their marketing, for increasing production capacity, and to travel from place to place to women in rural areas to educate them and tell them about She-Guard.
Make this work
“It is my dream that in the next three years we have established a stable, profitable company. I am very grateful for all women involved in this start-up and I will do everything in my power to make this work.”
