Designing a novel, flushable and biodegradable applicator for an innovative menstrual tampon

ADL是一家总部位于英国、由女性领导的碳中性初创企业，旨在通过注入CBD的可持续卫生棉条弥合产品创新中的性别差距。这个项目旨在解决卫生棉条涂抹器对环境的影响，减少月经产品最终进入垃圾填埋场、海滩或在未来几年污染我们的海洋的塑料垃圾的数量。根据吸收卫生产品制造商协会S 2018年英国经期产品使用量为43亿吨的计算，月经排泄量为每年200,000吨。此外，卫生棉条涂抹器的设计自1929年发明以来没有太大变化，因此还有改进的空间。对ADL用户进行的一项内部研究表明，92%的用户希望与传统的Long变种相比，使用更紧凑、更方便的涂抹器。通过生产世界上第一个商业化的可冲洗月经棉条敷贴器，ADL有限公司旨在通过创新的产品开发和商业模式创新来解决一系列经济和环境挑战。该公司已经进行了初步的用户测试和产品原型制作，以确保不同的利益相关者参与产品设计的不同阶段。此外，该公司还聘请了研究伙伴开发可冲洗涂抹材料。该项目的成功实施将显著减少定期护理产品产生的废物量，创造新的就业机会，并将推动英国研发在工业应用中实施绿色技术和材料。

ADL is a carbon neutral UK-based, female-led start-up, with the aim to bridge the gender gap in product innovation through sustainable, CBD-infused tampons. This project looks to solve the environmental impact of tampon applicators, reducing the amount of plastic waste from menstrual products that end up in the landfill, on our beaches, or polluting our oceans for years to come. Menstrual waste amounts to 200,000 tonnes per year, based on calculations from Absorbent Hygiene Product Manufacturers Association (AHPMA)'s 2018 figure of 4.3 billion menstrual products being used per year in the UK. Moreover, the design of the tampon applicator has not been changed much since its invention in 1929, so there is room for improvement. An internal study with ADL subscribers has showed that 92% would want a more compact and user-friendly applicator compared to the conventional long variants. By producing the world's first commercially available flushable menstrual tampon applicator, ADL Ltd aims to solve a range of economic and environmental challenges, through innovative product development, and business model innovation. The Company has already engaged in preliminary user testing and product prototyping to ensure that diverse stakeholders are involved in the different stages of the product design. Also, the Company has engaged research partners for the development of the flushable applicator material. The successful execution of this project will significantly reduce the amount of waste generated by period care products, create new employment opportunities and will advance UK R&D towards the implementation of green technologies and materials in industrial applications.