*This feature is not sponsored or paid for in any way by OrganiCup or any other invested party
Menstrual cups are slowly becoming a mainstream period product in many places around the world. Slowly, women around the world have warmed to the idea of using them instead of the more common pads and tampons. It may have something to do with the increasing number of studies that have confirmed the safety of using them or the increasing awareness of how much waste we generate from pads and tampons. (Fun fact: Over the span of 2 years, you use an average of 528 single-use pads and/or tampons, all ending up in landfill)
Whatever it is, the use of reusable period products, especially menstrual cups, are on the rise. So much so that there are many brands out there to choose from. One of them is Danish brand OrganiCup. Their straightforward, easygoing, information-centric marketing endears them to both beginners who may be wary of trying a menstrual cup and need a lot of information, and regular users looking for the right brand for them. We reached out to a brand representative to learn everything we can about the brand and here’s what we know.
OWNERSHIP
The OrganiCup brand was born in 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark by William Ravn and Kristian Meincke. In 2016, Gitte Dalberg-Larsen joined them as co-owner. It is registered as OrganiCup ApS.
INGREDIENTS & RAW MATERIALS
The OrganiCup is made of 100% flexible medical-grade silicone. Medical-grade silicone contains silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen atoms. It doesn’t contain any known unnecessary or hazardous chemicals. It is tested for biocompatibility and completely safe to use inside the body. The medical-grade silicone that OrganiCup uses is manufactured in the USA where it is registered with the FDA as a medical device (suitable for the intended use, adequately packaged and properly labelled, have establishment registration and device listing forms on file with the FDA).
One thing to note though is that while medical-grade silicone is derived from quartz (more on this later), technically, the OrganiCup can still be classified as “plastic” under the elastomer category. (More on that here) So if you want to go 100% completely plastic-free, OrganiCup (or any menstrual cup, really) might not be the option for you. It is, however, dye-free, bleach-free, and fragrance-free - again, zero unnecessary chemicals.
The OrganiWipes, which are meant to be used in situations where you don’t have access to a sink or clean water and need to empty and clean your cup, are made of organic cotton and contain 85% alcohol denat. The wipes themselves are biodegradable, but the individual wrappers are not. More on this later.
The OrganiWash, which can be used both as an intimate wash and for cleaning the OrganiCup before insertion and after removal, is made from 40% organic and 98% natural ingredients. You can find a full list of ingredients here.
All OrganiCup products are also Allergy Certified, which means it carries a very minimal risk of developing allergies or irritation with usage, and are registered with The Vegan Society as cruelty-free and vegan.
SOURCING & MANUFACTURING
There are currently no organic standards for menstrual cups, so while they cannot claim to be organic, they also do not use any harmful chemicals in their products. The main raw material used to make their cups, quartz, is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust and is not hazardous to the environment.
The medical-grade silicone used in OrganiCup is made in the USA and the cup itself is manufactured in China in the same facility that the company has used since its founding in 2012. The facility that produces the OrganiCup is regularly audited to meet quality and CSR requirements and is also ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2016 compliant.
OrganiWash and OrganiWipes are made in Finland.
PACKAGING & RECYCLING OPTIONS
OrganiCup is boxed in recycled carton, with all instructions printed directly on the box to prevent additional waste. It also comes with a storage bag made with unbleached organic cotton.
OrganiWipes are packaged in individual wrappers which have a thin layer of aluminium to ensure the durability of the disinfecting liquids in the wipes. They are, therefore, not biodegradable. The box it comes in, however, is.
OrganiWash comes in recyclable but not plastic-free packaging as plastic is needed to preserve the product in its container.
If these products are purchased from their website, everything ships in plastic-free packaging.
As for recycling, according to their website, you can actually bin your old cup if you live in many European cities as it will just be burned along with other garbage to create energy. If you live elsewhere, you can ask your local recycling facility as they can either take it in or at least know what to do with medical-grade silicone. Another suggested way of disposing of the cup is to actually burn it yourself. OrganiCup says this is safe and worry-free “because silicone is basically sand (quartz). It will only produce a tiny bit of CO2 due to the small quantity of silicone used for the cup.”
GIVING BACK & ADVOCACY
OrganiCup’s Impact page on their website says that to them, it was “always about more than cups.” They strive to make positive environmental, social, and cultural changes as they do business.
By promoting the use of menstrual cups, they stop approximately 528 pads or tampons from going into landfill every two years for every person that uses one cup. They also minimise waste by minimising their packaging, as well as the usage of unnecessary chemicals in their products. According to their website, they have so far saved over 1.5 tonnes of period product waste from going into landfill by avoiding the use of over 369 million products.
OrganicCup also works to change the attitude and stigmas towards periods across the world. Because these things stem from misinformation or lack of knowledge, they are involved in creating positive environments that foster open communication about menstruation among both boys and girls. This is to help reduce the embarrassment girls feel and the bullying they may experience because of their period. They support partners and platforms that “focus on elevating the conversation about periods and our bodies” to help destigmatise periods and challenge the cultural taboo of talking about menstruation. They also don’t shy away from calling menstruation what it is, calling a vagina a vagina, and using red liquid in their advertising as a way of using their platform to educate people and foster an environment where shame is not associated with a normal bodily function.
OrganiCup also supports period education and programs that address period poverty, especially in developing countries. They address the lack of access to period products that hinder girls and women from accessing education, obtaining work, or socialising. At the time of correspondence (September 2020), OrganiCup has donated more than 14,000 menstrual cups to its 25 partner organisations in 15 countries.
You can learn more about OrganiCup’s impact here.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY
The OrganiCup team is made up of 22 full and part time employees, 15 of which are female and 7 are male. They have a small, multinational team with people from Colombia, Portugal, Lithuania, Germany, the UK, and Denmark.
It goes without saying that not everyone will be able to use menstrual cups. Everyone is different and one product will not be right for every single person. But for those who can and choose to use menstrual cups, OrganiCup is a brand to try. Having received two “Product of the Year” awards and an “Excellence Award” from BuyMeOnce in the sustainability category, not only are you getting all the benefits of a menstrual cup, but you are also supporting a company that has been awarded for its efforts to be good for the planet and the beings that live in it.
OrganiCup ships worldwide from their website, however free shipping is not available in all countries. Learn more here.
Their products are also available from various resellers worldwide.