WUKA: Reusable Menstrual Products (Sustainable Period Pants)

Sustainable brand, WUKA has launched affordable, ‘Basic Period Pants’ to encourage people to switch to reusable menstrual products.

Available at an affordable price point of only £12.00 per pair (or £10.00 per pair when sold as part of a set), WUKA Basics Period Pants are perfect for cash-strapped students and budget-tight families, as their total savings could be as much as £44.50 per year for those switching to the reusable pants.

The period pants are completely leak-proof and look like normal underwear. They can be used for at least 2 years, preventing over 200 disposables. All you need to do is wear, wash, reuse!

Made from body-supporting cotton, the soft, breathable and comfortable material is ethically made and available in sizes ranging from XS to 4XL, as WUKA aims to fit everybody.

Founder Ruby says: ‘Millions of girls and women don’t have access to safe, accessible and affordable menstrual product, meaning girls missing education, and risking infections – and WUKA is on mission to end this.’

WUKA came to life thanks to entrepreneur Ruby, who grew up in Nepal, where unfortunately the topic of period remains shameful.

Ruby explained: ‘When I started my period, I experienced a form of Chapaudi, now illegal in Nepal. During menstruation I was sent to my aunt’s house and wasn’t allowed to go out in the sun, look at men, or touch plants – as it was believed that I would kill them – just because I was having a period.’

Ruby would be given old sari rags for the bleeding, and although reusable and eco-friendly, it wasn’t hygienic or leak-proof.

She mentions that women and girls would be exiled away from their family home, often sent in a cow shed whilst menstruating because ‘it was believed they would contaminate everything during this ‘impure’ time.’

Although the practice of Chapaudi is illegal now, it is still practised in some rural communities and has been fatal for some women.

After arriving in the UK, Ruby started studying for an Environmental Science Degree, when she discovered that more than 200,000 tonnes of tampons and pads were sent to a UK landfill every year, contributing to the mounting tide of plastic pollution.

This became her ‘light-bulb’ moment, when she knew she had to do something and change the way menstruations are handled.

Few people know they can save up to 47% by buying WUKA Basics rather than single-use, plastic-riddled disposable pads and tampons.

Not only is the brand affordable, but WUKA pride itself in being inclusive, ecological and is now launching with Klarna across the full underwear range, to split the cost into manageable instalments.

To make things matter even more, the WUKA team is petitioning to get period pants recognised as a menstrual product in order to be taxed fairly, as the Government has not acknowledged them yet as menstrual products.

WUKA’s petition here is available to sign here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/323297

And check out their website here.