Saathi

Kristin Kagetsu is one of the co-founders and CEO of Saathi, a social enterprise dedicated to providing a sustainable solution for feminine hygiene to women in India. Kristin has a passion for sustainable manufacturing and women’s issues. As an undergraduate student, she worked on multiple projects with the MIT Design Lab (D-Lab) in Brazil, Nicaragua, and India. Her first product launch was of a set of natural dye crayons that she developed with an NGO in Uttarakhand where she fell in love with India. Kristin also volunteered with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), to structure and expand the national collegiate team to better support over 60 collegiate chapters, as well as to develop SASE leadership in the Northeast. Since its founding, Saathi has been recognized globally by Time Magazine, Fast Company, UN Environment Program, UNIDO, Allure, Vogue and others, for its social impact, innovation and sustainability. 

Saathi has developed 100% biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads made from banana fiber which is one of the most absorbent natural fibers and abundant. Unlike wood pulp or cotton, it is an agricultural by-product and does not require additional land usage. Our all-natural pads do not contain bleach or chemicals to minimize skin irritation and release of toxins into the environment upon disposal. Not only are they more comfortable and safer for the user as they don’t contain bleach which has carcinogenic dioxins, but Saathi pads also degrade within 6 months of disposal, 1200 times faster than conventional pads, and eliminate the need for incineration, reducing CO2 production. We eliminate 60 kg of pad waste, per woman, in her lifetime. Saathi is part of the circular economy where everyone is positively impacted and our goal is to create hygiene products that are good for your body, community and environment. 

In India, 82%of women lack access to sanitary napkins. In the absence of proper menstrual protection, many women resort to using rags and cloths and even ash, bark and sand to stem menstrual bleeding, which exposes them to a high risk of infection.  Women who use cloth are often not able to properly sterilize them  because of societal taboos against washing and drying them in public. Improvised alternatives to pads are also uncomfortable, unreliable and lack adequate absorbency - making it very difficult for women to manage a work or school day while on their period. The key problem Saathi addresses is to provide a hygienic, effective alternative to improve the lives of these women without creating any negative environmental impact. This is most significant;  the small percentage of Indian women using sanitary pads today already  generates 100,000+ tons of sanitary pad waste each year - a figure that could rise to 1,000,000+ tons if disposable pads were used by all Indian women of menstruating age. Plastic pads take 600 years to degrade, and worse, are frequently burned for disposal, generating CO2 & toxic fumes.

Our mission is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, community and environment. Saathi aims to be a model of the circular economy. We plan to revolutionize the hygiene industry by manufacturing products sustainably and responsibly and solve the problem of accessibility of menstrual products. The key problem Saathi addresses is to provide a hygienic, effective alternative to improve the lives of these women without creating any negative environmental impact. Saathi has developed 100% biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads made from banana and bamboo fiber which is one of the most absorbent natural fibers and abundant in India.

Impact:

• Reduce plastic waste & Co2 Emission

We have already saved 12MT of plastic waste and saved 16 MT of CO2 emissions. By 2023, Saathi will reduce plastic waste by 9,212 MT and CO2 emissions by 10,849MT.

• Reaching Women for Saathi pads

Saathi is using urban sales to subsidize pads for rural women. Saathi has already reached 7800+ women and will increase access to sustainable menstrual hygiene for 1.5 million women by 2023.

• Generate demand for Banana Fiber & employment for Rural women

We buy agro-waste from banana tree farmers, who can earn extra income by selling the waste. Through procurement, Saathi has already increased banana farmers income by 5M INR so far. We also employ underprivileged women in the manufacturing of our pads and we aim to employ 73,517 women by 2023.

Saathi manufactures 100% biodegradable and compostable all-natural sanitary pads from banana fiber. Saathi runs on the principles of circular economy and our goal is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, community, and environment. 

Saathi’s impacts are as follows:

• Reduce plastic waste & Co2 emission

• Reaching women for Saathi pads

• Generate extra income for banana fiber & employment for rural women

Our primary beneficiaries are girls and women in age between 11 to 45 from urban and rural areas.

In 2015, 3 co-founders Kristin Kagetsu, Tarun Bothra and Grace Kane - graduates of MIT (US), Nirma University- came together on a mission to create fully eco-friendly, compostable sanitary napkins using locally sourced banana fiber. They  were inspired by the idea of improving women's access to sanitary pads in India. Kristin was passionate about making a product that is sustainable using natural materials and impacts women. Tarun brought his business experience in renewable energy, materials and passion for improving the lives of the masses to set up this new social venture. Tarun also had personal experiences with a family member who was affected by having to face the taboos around menstrual hygiene in India. Grace was also passionate about sustainable product design and innovation as well as impacting women. They found a way to source natural eco-friendly materials for pads to make a product that not only positively impacted women but was also good for the environment. Together they combined their experiences to conceive and develop a biodegradable and compostable sanitary pad with a cradle to cradle (completely sustainable) business model which also embodies circular economy.

Saathi began with a mission to create fully eco-friendly, compostable sanitary napkins using locally sourced banana fiber. They  were inspired by the idea of improving women's access to sanitary pads in India. Kristin was passionate about making a product that is sustainable using natural materials and impacts women. She had previously commercialized and launched sustainable natural-dye crayons made by local artisans in Uttarakhand, India. Tarun brought his business experience in renewable energy, materials and passion for improving the lives of the masses to set up this new social venture. Tarun also had personal experiences with a family member who was affected by having to face the taboos around menstrual hygiene in India. And was very passionate about solving issues related to menstrual taboos. Grace, an Ellen MacArthur Fellow, was also passionate about sustainable product design and innovation as well as impacting women. They found a way to source natural eco-friendly materials for sanitary pads to make a product that not only positively impacted women but was also good for the environment. They were motivated by the potential to make a positive difference for women in India while using an engineering approach focused on ecology and sustainability. 

Kristin Kagetsu is one of the co-founders and CEO of Saathi, a social enterprise dedicated to providing a sustainable solution for feminine hygiene to women in India. Kristin has a passion for sustainable manufacturing and women’s issues. As an undergraduate student, she worked on multiple projects with the MIT Design Lab (D-Lab) in Brazil, Nicaragua, and India. Her first product launch was of a set of natural dye crayons that she developed with an NGO in Uttarakhand where she fell in love with India. Kristin also volunteered with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), to structure and expand the national collegiate team to better support over 60 collegiate chapters, as well as to develop SASE leadership in the Northeast. Since its founding, Saathi has been recognized globally by Time Magazine, Fast Company, UN Environment Program, UNIDO, Allure, Vogue and others, for its social impact, innovation and sustainability. She was an MIT DLab ScaleUps Fellow, Asia Society Young Leader, TEDx speaker, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Fellow, Cartier Women’s Initiative Finalist, and recognized by the Department of MSME. She currently resides in India.

Initially when we started OneMillionPads program we realised that women in rural villages were not open to discuss menstruation due to the social stigma around menstruation. Which was one of the major reasons we decided to reach them through NGO. This helps us to reach women on a more personal level because we are going through their community health workers who are more familiar to them and whom they trust. This is a very personal product so this method is most effective and the marketing is built in. By this method we have been able to achieve great confidence in the villages of Jharkhand with great support from the health workers and built trust on women in those areas. It has helped us switch them from cloth and rags to sanitary pads to stem their menstrual flow.

Kristin manages a team of 11 staff and 25 factory workers  and has worked extremely hard to create a wonderful work culture. Everyone who works at Saathi is passionate about the mission and loves working there and feels inspired to come to work every day. Saathi is a family. She believes in and puts into practice that sustainability is fundamental to everything Saathi does from building a robust supply chain to producing zero waste in the factory to ensuring pads do not create any harmful waste after use. She has led Saathi through business growth and spoke internationally about Saathi’s mission to be a leader in sustainable manufacturing of hygiene products in a sustainable and responsible way. She has given various winning pitches and talks which are Speaker and panellist at Women Deliver Conference- 2019, St Andrew Awards for sustainability -2019, Winner and Pitch, Cartier Women Initiative awards- Finalist Pitch, Hello Tomorrow - 2017, Winner Speech, TEDxDAIICT 2016- Talk.

Saathi uses the principle of the circular economy to run an enterprise where all stakeholders are positively impacted. The idea to use an agricultural waste product to enable better management of menstruation along with educational initiatives stands out due to its simplicity & widespread adaptability.  We plan to revolutionize the hygiene industry by manufacturing products sustainably and responsibly. It is a unique 

We have a diverse team which helps to indicate the changes we need to make in our product. We are also planning to create diverse campaigns as well which help our customers feel more included.

Value proposition of Saathi pads are as follows:

Affordable

• 55% cheaper than other premium health & wellness products

Better : 

• 100% natural, chemical free, and non-toxic

• more comfortable and gentle to skin,

• 100% Compostable and Biodegradable

• No health side effects from using this product

Faster : 

• More absorbent

Theory of Change

Currently, we serve 7800+ womens and girls. 

By 2023, we plan to empower 73,000+ women & girls and consequently, as many families.

By 2023, we aim to expand the Saathi Community to 1.5 Mn, which practises safe & sustainable periods.

Business goals within next year:

1. Launch the product in an International market

2. Scale up production & manufacturing

3. New product launch

4. New brand launch

5. Team expansion

6. Become an emerging player in health brand category in India

7. Build more sales channels - online presence across major e-commerce platforms and offline sales in tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India.

Goals within the next 5 years:

Impact and Milestones:

• Reduce plastic waste & Co2 Emission

Saathi will reduce plastic waste by 9,212 MT and CO2 emissions by 10,849MT in the next 5 year.

• Reaching Women for Saathi pads

Saathi will increase access to pads for 1.5 million women in next 5 year

•        Generate Employment for Banana Fiber & Rural women

 We also employ underprivileged women in the manufacturing of our pads and we aim to employ 73,517 women in next 5 years

Brand & product awareness, higher shipping on product delivery, Sales and Distribution, mentoring and network.

Awareness: Due to lack of proper awareness about biodegradable pads among consumers, some companies are using oxo biodegradable plastic which is more harmful because it breaks the plastic into micro particles which can never be recovered.

Shipping on product: Currently we are selling Saathi pads through online website www.saathipads.com , where we are imposing delivery charges on the end consumer which sometimes impacts our conversion. We are in conversation with some Eco-Friendly retail stores to place the product in major metro cities to improve access & availability.

Sales and Distribution: We receive 10-12 inquiries every week regarding distributorship and partnership from India and worldwide, currently we are looking to hire for Sales and Distribution to manage those queries.

Saathi partnered with Ekal Vidyalaya and its sister organization Arogya Foundation to provide menstrual hygiene education and provide biodegradable sanitary pads made from banana and bamboo fibre to women in rural Jharkhand and through this grant we will be aiming to extend the program to other Indian states.

Saathi pads are accessible to all women with our two-pronged pricing scheme. Our business model is to sell pads at a premium in urban India and at a cost in rural India. Currently,  pads are available online at our website, various e-commerce websites and eco-stores in many cities. As pads are a necessity & market is growing, we will be economically sustainable because more women will be using pads.

We have two types of customers:

• Middle & upper class urban menstruators

• NGOs that purchase our pads to distribute among menstruators in the villages in which they operate

Saathi pads are accessible to all menstruators with our two-pronged pricing scheme. Our business model is to sell pads at a premium in urban India and use that to sell our pads at cost in rural India.

We will become financially sustainable by selling our sanitary napkins at a premium cost in urban sales and at a subsidized rate in rural areas. We will be raising funds to scale up production so that we can reach more customers globally. We also look towards expanding our product line to expand our portfolio for the customers we can reach.

In the last 4 years, we have raised $1M in a mix of grants and equity. Some of our major funding sources are as follows:

$128,000 (grant)- Hello Tomorrow 2017, France

$120,000 (equity) - Village Global 2018, US

$100,000(grant)- St.Andrew Prize for the Environment 2019, UK

$80,000 (equity)- Pipeline Angels 2017, US

$50,000 (grant)- Harvard Business School New Venture Competition 2014, US

$50,000 (grant)- Anonymous donor** name hidden by request 2017, US

$30,000 (grant)- Finalist Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards 2018, Singapore 

$30,000 (grant) Expo Live 2020 2018, Dubai

$20,000 (grant)- MIT D-Lab Scale Ups Fellowship 2015, US

$2.6M in debt

$2.4M in equity

Raising the funds at the earliest

NA

We are applying for The Elevate Prize to look for right support for mentoring and network for global launch. We are looking for funding, support for marketing and brand awareness and mentoring for sales and operations.

Looking for seed funding for launch in the US and Europe. Pro Bono support for legal matters and brand awareness and brand building.

We would like to partner with various distributors, eco-stores and e-commerce stores in Latin America and Carribean to provide access to our product there. Along with that, we also look for partnering with various branding and marketing agencies, media and influencers to build brand value in the new market.