How we work with Earth Sisters Fiji to help local women
Immago are proud to team up with Earth Sisters Fiji, a not-for-profit online business providing eco-friendly, economical and ethical feminine hygiene products to the women and girls of the South Pacific Islands.
Empowering women in Fiji
Earth Sisters Fiji makes reusable cloth sanitary pads, manufactured in Fiji and supplied to South Pacific-based NGOs for inclusion in their Menstrual Hygiene Packs (MHM), Humanitarian Packs and disaster Relief Packs.
Introduction to reusable cloth sanitary pads is relatively new to the younger generation but is rapidly growing in demand, along with access to information on menstrual hygiene which is vital to the empowerment and well-being of women and girls. It is about ensuring these women and girls live in an environment that values and supports their ability to manage their menstruation with dignity.
Immago’s role
Immago provides non-woven labels for the pads, identifying Earth Sisters Fiji clothing which is sewn into the fabric during manufacturing. These labels also have the Earth Sister’s website details on them, for easy reference to their other products and advice, as well as care instructions for the sanitary pads.
We worked with Earth Sisters Fiji and their website designers to create a label and together we produced a design that had to meet specific and unusual requirements, especially the small size of the label.
Earth Sisters Fiji
Earth Sisters Fiji has evolved out of their attachment to, and love of, the Fijian Islands and it is through Earth Sisters Fiji that they can bring their mission of sharing, saving, and reusing to the women and girls of the South Pacific Islands.
Women are often left without simple personal hygiene products from living through the hardships of cyclones and floods, and these items often get pushed to the bottom of the shopping list.
Inspired by the many people who have stood up for the rights of women over time, Earth Sisters Fiji aims to highlight the basic needs of female sanitary hygiene by providing an eco-friendly, economical, comfortable and affordable option without putting an unnecessary strain on the pockets of the families. It’s unfair that so many people face this reality just for being born a female.
Earth Sister’s Mission is:
- To provide the women and girls of the South Pacific Islands with access to reusable sanitary pads and at the same time provide an environmentally friendly solution to managing their monthly flow.
- To produce a range of reusable sanitary pads manufactured locally in Fiji.
- Journey alongside mothers, sisters, and girlfriends, empowering each other with wisdom through learning, listening, and sharing. They trust their mission will provide a healthy, sustainable eco-friendly and affordable choice for the women and girls of the South Pacific Islands.
- Reusable cloth sanitary pads are the sustainable solution to managing your flow days, by saving disposables from entering landfills. Most disposable pads and tampons are made of a mix of cotton and synthetic rayon, and companies are not legally required to disclose what they are made of, which means you won’t usually be able to see materials listed on tampon and pad boxes. Reusable cloth sanitary pads offer a healthier choice for your body and the earth too!
- Their range of reusable cloth sanitary pads is locally made in Fiji from the highest quality fabrics sourced from overseas (fabrics not available in Fiji), helping create more employment opportunities for Fijians. Immago’s sanitary pad labels are made locally in Suva and afford the opportunity to engage with as many local manufacturers fulfilling our desire to engage local men and women in work opportunities.
The benefits of switching to cloth sanitary pads
While disposable pads are the norm, there are many reasons why reusable sanitary pads are better.
- So much more comfortable and feels amazing against your skin.
- No more irritations or concerns about your personal hygiene with chemicals or plastics used in disposable pads.
- Eco-friendly, saving on landfill keeping our earth and waterways healthy. On average, women use around 10,000 disposable pads or tampons in their lifetime. Most disposable pads and tampons take 500-800 years to decompose.
- Affordability. Each pad lasts up to 60 washes (up to 5 years depending on how well you look after them). This way you can always have your pads ready for your flow days. According to “The Last Taboo” research on menstrual hygiene management in the Pacific, released in February 2017, it was reported that women pay $4 to $6 per packet of disposables, and if their flow is heavy, they will spend $12 to $14 for disposables. The report goes on to say that estimated spending is around $10 per month on these disposable products. 2022 has only added to additional costs on single-use pads for women and girls with shipping costs increasing.
And finally, a message from Megan Colquhoun, founder of Earth Sisters Fiji.
“Manufacturing in Fiji has been made extremely easy with the professional assistance of the local team in Suva at immago. Their extremely fast turnaround from ordering to delivering our order to our local manufacturer, adds to the professional service the team provide and Earth Sisters Fiji would highly recommend them.”