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Sustainable City Conf. 2012

Public Info

New Technologies for Feminine Hygiene Products with Reduced Environmental Impact

Giovanni CARLUCCI
P & G - Italy

Abstract

Since from their first introduction at the beginning of the 20th century, Disposable Feminine Hygiene Products have been developed just focusing to improve their functional performances. Up to the recent years, only few attempts were made to create eco-friendly alternatives, but their higher costs and lower performances have greatly limited the relative market potential.
Our researches focused to create more sustainable products greatly reducing the use of materials and the creation of wastes but still delivering all functional benefits required by the consumers (absorbency, dryness, flexibility, comfort, etc.).
The newly designed disposal products offer environmental benefits in terms of :
increase in the use of renewable resources thanks to the introduction of highly performing bio-based superabsorbent polymers, which will reduce the use of oil-based absorbent materials; of the volume and mass of the absorbent materials with a consequent benefit in terms of less waste disposal and of reduction in the required packaging material;of emissions (less trucks circulating per year) related to transports of materials, products and disposal phases.
We wish to present how product optimization can be combined with bio-based materials paying-off in terms of sustainability, performance and competitiveness.

Keywords: Disposable Products, Feminine Hygiene, Absorbency, Sustainable design, Bio-based material