New Delhi: Biodegradable sanitary napkins and a ‘beeswax cloth wrap’ to replace silver foil were the two winning novel utilities which won the sustainable lifestyle challenge on Tuesday in Delhi.
The challenge, organised by Embassy of Sweden in partnership with TERI School of Advanced Studies, saw participation of about 1,300 students from Delhi-NCR and a total of around 300 innovations.
The seven-day challenge was organised from January 17-23.
Krishi Bhat and Manvi Jain, both from Amity International School, won the top prize for their innovations.
“I have been working on this project since Class 8 because this is something which every woman, urban or rural, goes through,” Krishi, the inventor of biodegradable sanitary pad, now in Class 9, told IANS.
During my research I found that one of the layers in the common pads is treated with a chemical dioxin, which the WHO has listed as a carcinogenic… Though they have now started bleaching the layer with oxygen, it still releases some amount of dioxin.
“So I thought the biodegradable sanitary pads, which are sustainable, are need of the hour,” she said.
Departing from a common sanitary pad, Krishi used “cotton fusings” which is a “good absorbent” instead of “dry net” used in former for the outer most layers of the pad of her product.
She said her invention, if marketed, will cost mere Rs 2 and that she is seeking to get a patent for it.
“We may also approach Aanganwaadi and panchayat for their distribution and also for a grant from the government under start up schemes,” Krishi said.
While talking about the initiative Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden to India said, “We are impressed by the innovative and creative solutions we received for sustainable living. Today’s young generation has a great potential to enact positive change and such initiatives can help combining their creativity and dynamism to achieve a sustainable future.”
