Founded by Kristin Kagetsu, Tarun Bothra, and Grace Kane, Saathi Innovations manufactures biodegradable pads made from upcycled banana fiber and natural bamboo pads to establish sustainable hygiene, advance menstrual equity, eradicate period poverty, and offer 100 percent compostable pads through a circular economy driven by waste upcycling to produce chemical-free eco pads that give women a completely plastic-free period. Conventional commercial sanitary napkins are composed of up to ninety percent plastic, taking over six hundred years to decompose in landfills or releasing toxic carcinogenic emissions when incinerated.
Recognizing that sustainable health solutions must protect both human bodies and natural ecosystems, the Indian social enterprise engineered a completely plant-based alternative. By converting discarded agricultural crop waste into high-performing, compostable period care, the company demonstrates how waste upcycling, environmental responsibility, and social impact can merge into a scalable business model.
Rethinking Banana Crop Waste
The key innovation behind these eco pads lies in their clever sourcing of raw materials. Banana plants bear fruit only once during their life cycle. Once the fruit is harvested, the massive main stem of the plant becomes agricultural waste. Millions of tons of these trunks are chopped down and routinely discarded or burned by farmers every year, creating severe waste management challenges and air pollution.
Co-founders Kristin Kagetsu, Tarun Bothra, and Grace Kane discovered that natural banana fiber extracted from these discarded trunks possesses exceptional natural absorbency and strength. By purchasing unused stems directly from local farming collectives, the founders established a sustainable supply chain that provides secondary income to rural households while securing a renewable raw material.
Engineering A Compostable Pad
Converting thick agricultural waste into comfortable, hygienic, and leak-proof consumer products required extensive material science engineering. The founders developed a chemical-free manufacturing process that processes banana plant materials and antibacterial bamboo fibers into ultra-soft, highly absorbent biodegradable pads without using chlorine bleach, artificial fragrances, or toxic synthetic chemicals.
Unlike conventional pads that rely on synthetic liners and plastic leak guards, every layer of this product is derived from plant-based materials. As a result, users enjoy a completely plastic-free period that prevents skin irritation and rashes often caused by synthetic alternatives. Most importantly, while a standard plastic pad persists in soil ecosystems for centuries, these natural period products decompose completely within six months under standard composting conditions, turning back into organic soil nutrients.
Ending Rural Period Poverty
Eliminating plastic waste was only one part of the organization’s overarching mission. Millions of women across rural India lack access to hygienic, affordable menstrual products, leading to health complications and high school dropout rates among young girls. To tackle widespread period poverty and advance menstrual equity, the organization adopted a cross-subsidization business model.
Revenue generated from sales in urban retail markets and digital subscriptions directly subsidizes the distribution of eco-friendly pads to resource-strapped rural communities. Partnering with non-profit organizations and local health workers, the enterprise conducts educational workshops on menstrual health, dismantling social taboos while distributing sustainable products to women who need them most.
Scaling Sustainable Manufacturing Enterprise
Since its inception in Ahmedabad, the company has eliminated tons of plastic waste, prevented carbon emissions, and saved millions of liters of water compared to traditional synthetic pad production. Their zero-waste manufacturing ethos also prioritizes fair local employment, hiring an all-women staff inside production facilities.
By demonstrating that environmental stewardship, social equity, and financial viability can coexist within a single enterprise, the founding team established a blueprint for responsible consumer goods manufacturing. Their work proves that solving global waste crises requires looking at discarded agricultural resources through a lens of scalable innovation.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Saathi demonstrates the transformative potential of circular enterprise in India. By turning agricultural crop waste into life-changing, eco-friendly hygiene products, the organization shows that environmental sustainability and social equity can drive scalable commercial success. Supporting plant-based alternatives remains essential to achieving true environmental health and universal human dignity.
How can government procurement policies incentivize public health programs to adopt local, biodegradable menstrual hygiene products over synthetic plastic options?
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