Sparkle Innovations

Sparkle has developed 100% biodegradable, compostable, plastic-free and chemical-free ultra-thin sanitary pads from banana stem agro-waste. In India, there are around 800,000 hectors of banana tree plantations which results in 64 million tonnes discarded stems. We transform this agro-waste into sustainable sanitary pads and 100% organic fertilizer. Commercial pads contain up to 90% plastic and do not biodegrade for around 600 years. All-natural Sparkle pads biodegrade within 6 months of disposal. With only 1 in 6 women using sanitary pads in India, around 150,000 tonnes of pad waste is generated per year. With Sparkle, we aim to eliminate around 100 kg of pad waste per woman in her lifetime. Over 200 million women in India use rags or ash during their periods, risking infection. With our “Buy One, Give One” initiative, every time we sell a Sparkle pad, we donate a pad to a girl in need.

• Health aspect: Majority of commercial pads available in the market contain up to 90% plastic and harsh chemicals that cause skin irritation, vaginal rashes and UTIs. Over 200 million women in India do not have access to sanitary pads. They use less hygienic alternatives such as rags or ash during their periods, risking infection.  

• Environmental aspect: Conventional sanitary pads contain around 3.5g of petrochemical plastic with every sanitary pad releasing around 21 grams of carbon dioxide in the process. Thousands of tonnes of sanitary pad waste remain unchanged in the landfill for over 600-800 years after disposal. Burning the plastic pad releases toxic pollutants in the environment.  

• Social aspect: Millions of girls and women miss up to 50-60 days of school or work every year because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products. It is a leading reason for higher school dropout rates of adolescent girls than boys once they reach puberty. 

• Agricultural aspect: Banana plants grow rapidly in just 9-12 months and once bananas are harvested, these plants become agro-waste. After each harvest, farmers either burn the discarded stems or they have to pay additional labour to remove them from their farms.

We aim to provide natural and effective period products at affordable rates to 350 million adolescent girls and women in India. During product development stage, we interacted with 1200 women to understand key problems they faced during their periods. Our surveys measured four performance parameters: “Design”(size and shape of the pad), “Comfort”(pad thickness, softness, dryness, absorbency, irritations), “Disposal” and “Price”. According to their feedback, we made multiple modifications in our machines, manufacturing processes and design parameters.  

Many women with sensitive skin suffer from infections and rashes due to chemicals used in commercial pads. However, due to lack of available options, they keep using conventional pads. Eco-friendly pads available in the market are typically imported and sold as “Premium” pads with high mark-ups. Only a handful of women knew about the environmental impact of non-biodegradable ingredients inside their pads. They were open to trying natural alternatives that are not harmful to health and the planet.  

At our banana fibre extraction unit, we interacted with over 100 farmers to understand their views on converting agro waste into sustainable raw material. Farmers are happy to contact us before cutting down their bananas stems for earning extra income each harvest.

We are the first company in the world to use a combination of bamboo fibre, banana fibre and corn starch in a sanitary napkin. Bamboo fibre is naturally antibacterial and super-soft. Banana fibre super absorbent core is highly effective at locking away menstrual fluid. Corn-starch based bio plastic serves as a compostable alternative to plastic.

Made with sustainable plant based ingredients, Sparkle pads do not contain plastic, artificial fragrances, chlorine bleaches, heavy metal dyes or other harmful chemicals.  Compared to commercial pads that do not biodegrade for 600 years, all-natural Sparkle pads biodegrade completely within 6 months of disposal. With Sparkle pads, we aim to eliminate around 100 kg of pad waste per woman, in her lifetime.

Our innovation lies in developing the absorbent core using small-scale and economically viable air-laid sheet-formation technology. Our controlled air flow and suction technology evenly distributes banana fibre to form an ultra-thin core that is supper efficient at absorption and retention of menstrual fluid. Our modular design allows for easy customization in terms of size and design of a pad.

We use locally sourced banana fibre which provides extra income to farmers each harvest. Commercial pads use either pine wood pulp which is bleached for whiteness or non-biodegradable super absorbent gels which are derived from crude oil. Compared to cotton, banana fibres require six times less water and ten times less fertilizers.

As by-product of banana fibre extraction, we recover nutritious banana stem sap for producing 100% organic fertilizer. We have collaborated with Navsari Agriculture University for producing advanced organic fertilizer through a process of bacterial fermentation. Our economically viable organic fertilizer is an ideal alternative for farmers who are looking for reducing the use of toxic fertilizers that are harmful to the environment. Synthetic pesticides, fungicides and herbicides interfere with the natural flow of wildlife, insects, birds, frogs and many other micro-organisms as well as contaminate water supplies. Our all-in-one organic fertilizer is packed with 18 essential elements that can help farmers with maximizing their crop yield in a natural way.

Through our “Buy one Give One” initiative, we donate a pad to a girl in need with every Sparkle purchase. In our attempt to provide underprivileged girls equal opportunities to reach their full potential at school, we support NGOs that focus on women’s empowerment programs by providing them healthy sanitary pads at subsidised rates.

Background of existing technology:

Converting lignocellulosic banana fibre into soft-absorbent pulp doesn’t require innovation. Paper industry has been converting lignocellulosic materials into soft pulp by breaking down or modifying the fibre structure for many decades. In Africa, banana fibre has been used to make sanitary pads using similar processes. In India, many companies supply pre-made banana fibre pulp sheets that can be crushed to generate fluff pulp for the sanitary napkin’s absorbent core.

Our innovative business model:

Increasing the production of raw-materials: Current banana fibre extraction machines have very low production capacity with high wastage-ratio due to inefficient design. An operator has to manually insert individual stem sheaths into a rotating drum twice (once from the front and once from the back) to extract banana fibres. We have developed auto-feed machines with speed controllers, conveyor belts, brushing unit and drying unit with four times the production capacity and twice the fibre yield compared to existing machines.

Reducing the cost of raw-materials: As a by-product of fibre extraction we recover nutritious banana stem sap. We have collaborated with Navsari Agriculture University for producing advanced 100% organic fertilizer. Since we utilize all the components of banana stem our overall cost of raw materials decrease.

Improving the quality of sanitary pads: Small-scale manual sanitary napkin machines simply press predetermined quantity of fluff pulp to form a thick, uneven, inefficient and uncomfortable absorbent core. With our advanced small-scale air-laid technology, we can produce ultra-thin absorbent core by evenly distributing fluff pulp.

Besides reducing the cost of raw material by developing efficient fibre extraction machines, we have also designed innovative machines to form the ultra-thin absorbent core of our sanitary pad.

Our innovation lies in developing a small-scale and economically viable air-laid sheet-formation machine. Our controlled air flow and suction technology evenly distributes soft and absorbent pulp to form an ultra-thin core that is supper efficient at absorption and retention of menstrual fluid.

Our modular design offers easy customization options in terms of size and design of a pad which allows us to make different size pads on a single machine. Our machine design also allows us to increase our production capacity easily and cost effectively by adding additional units to increase our overall production.

We have carefully chosen plant based ingredients to create the world’s first sanitary napkin with a combination of bamboo fibre (naturally antibacterial and super soft), banana fibre (highly effective at locking away menstrual fluid) and corn starch (compostable alternative to plastic). The banana fibre core is sandwiched between a top layer of hydrophilic bamboo fibre non-woven and a bottom layer of waterproof corn-starch based bio plastic using our modular machines that we have developed in-house.

The quality of Sparkle pads are superior or identical when compared to those made by market leaders in terms of design, surface finish, absorbency and comfort.

Our solution to reduce pad waste:

Commercial pads contain up to 90% plastic and do not biodegrade for around 600 years. With only 1 in 6 women using sanitary pads in India, around 150,000 tonnes of pad waste is generated per year. If all of 355 million women start using pads, it would result in around 1,000,000 tons of pad waste annually. All-natural Sparkle pads biodegrade within 6 months of disposal. With Sparkle, we aim to eliminate around 100 kg of pad waste per woman in her lifetime.

Our solution to reduce agro-waste:

In India, there are around 800,000 hectors of banana tree plantations which results in 64 million tonnes of banana stem agro waste after each harvest. We reduce this agro waste by using it to produce biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads and 100% organic liquid fertilizer. Banana farmers also get an opportunity to earn extra income each harvest by selling discarded stems.

Our solution to promote gender equality:

Access to sanitary napkins can provide girls and women equal opportunities to reach their full potential at both school and work. According to UNICEF, around 23% of girls in India drop out of school once they reach puberty. When adolescent girls have access to sanitary napkins, school dropout rate decreases by 90%. Through our “Buy one Give One” initiative, we donate a pad to a girl in need with every Sparkle purchase. We also support NGOs that focus on women’s empowerment programs by providing them sanitary pads at subsidised rates.

With Sparkle, we aim to support circular economy by positively impacting women, agriculture, local economy and the environment.

Social Impact: In India, we have donated over 50,000 pads directly to girls in need through Manvilas Charitable Trust and United World Foundation.

Reduction of sanitary pad waste: By selling over 50,000 pads and donating over 50,000 pads, we have already eliminated over 350 kg of plastic pad waste.

Economic Impact: We buy stems from banana farmers who earn extra income each harvest. Through our banana fibre extraction operations, we provided extra income to over 100 farmers.

By 2020, we plan to sell over 500,000 pads, donate over 500,000 pads, eliminate 3.5 tonnes of plastic pad waste, and reduce 1000 tonnes of banana stem agro-waste.

After 2020, our numbers would go up exponentially as we are currently working on implementing fully automatic machinery which can produce required raw material quickly and efficiently as well as significantly increase our overall production of sanitary pads.

So far, we have reduced around 450 tonnes of banana stem waste, extracted 1.5 tonne of banana fibre and produced 10,000 litters of 100% organic fertilizer. When farmers use our cost-effective organic fertilizer, they reduce the use of toxic fertilizers that are harmful to the environment.

Globally, the feminine hygiene product market is expected to be worth over $36 billion by 2024. (Source: Donald Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, 2018). Indian feminine hygiene product market is expected to reach US$ 522 million in 2020 growing at a CAGR of more than 6% (Source: Euromonitor). In terms of market share, over 70% of Indian market is dominated by only two players (P&G’s Whisper: 50.4% Market share, J&J’s Stayfree: 23% Market share). We aim to capture 5% of the total Indian market in the next 5 years.

2020: As we set up our domestic sales and distribution channel, our primary focus will be to create brand awareness and participate in international conferences to grow our network.

2021: With established domestic sales, we plan to focus on increasing our production. Our core focus will include raising enough funds to implement fully automatic machinery. With economy of scale, we aim to reduce our overall cost per pad.

2022: With fully automatic sanitary napkin production line set up, we aim to target big domestic retail chains and explore other B2B opportunities. At this stage, our main focus will be to establish an effective distribution network.

2023: After gaining experience and expertise about manufacturing and sales of sanitary napkin, we would focus on product diversification which may include production of all natural baby diapers, face wipes or similar FMCG goods.

2024: With diverse product range, efficient manufacturing set-up and established domestic market, we aim to explore export oriented markets.

Currently, the biggest barrier to our business is unpredictable supply of raw material, discarded banana stems. To run efficient fibre extraction operation, we need to match our production capacity with the availability of banana stems from the nearby banana growing belt. Once bananas are harvested, farmers chop down the old stems and prepare the farm for the next plantation. Once the stems are cut, they start decomposing within a week. The key challenge is to receive enough discarded stem regularly to match our daily production capacity. In other words, the supply of raw material we need to produce Sparkle sanitary pads depends on the timely availability of banana stem agro-waste.

To manage the barrier of oversupply or undersupply of banana stem agro-waste, we have established effective communication channels with farmers in the nearby banana growing belt. We are collaborating with more and more farmers who keep us informed with the up-to-date status of their banana plantation and harvest cycles. Farmers get in touch with us when they are ready to harvest bananas and we get a chance to plan our operations in advance. In return, farmers get an opportunity to earn extra income by selling banana stem agro-waste. In order to manage oversupply of the stems, we have upgraded our fibre extraction machines with automated features that can increase our fibre extraction capacity exponentially.

In total, we are a team of 14 people which consists of 2 co-founders, 9 full time employees and 3 part time employees.

Our gender-balanced team is equipped with diverse experience in a number of functions across product design, manufacturing, business development, accounting, finance and marketing.

I have completed Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University, Master in Business Administration from Ryerson University and post-graduation program from UC-Berkeley. With over seven years of work experience from Canada, USA, Europe, and India, I guide Sparkle in the areas of product design, manufacturing and business development. Along with conducting market research and managing distribution channels, I work with NGOs that focus on grass root level solutions by providing them sanitary pads at subsidised rates.

With a major in Manufacturing at McMaster University, I completed two internships during my undergrad at one of the leading CNC machine manufacturing companies in India where I worked in their R&D department.

Hetal Virani, CA, CS, CWA, LLB, and B.Com, has brought financial and legal expertise to the management of Sparkle. With over eight years of experience, Hetal leads day-to-day planning, implementing and managing all finance and operations related activities. Her passion for promoting equal opportunities for women and expertise as a cost accountant allows us to manufacture pads while keeping the overhead costs as low as possible.

Hetal earned her C.A. from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and C.W.A. from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. She holds a C.S. from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India as well as a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, India.

For the design, development, manufacturing, sales, distribution and all other activities that include Sparkle sanitary pads, our in-house team is handling all the operations independently.

For the development of 100% organic fertilizer from banana stem sap by-product, we have collaborated with Navsari Agriculture University (NAU). NAU guides us with development of new organic agriculture inputs, testing on different crops in different agriculture environments across India and improvements of existing products. Once products are tested and approved by NAU, we sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and use the technology to manufacture and sell 100% organic inputs to farmers.

Target Market:

Our target market is health-conscious and eco-conscious women in their 20's and 30's. Many women with sensitive skin suffer from irritation, infections and rashes due to chemicals used in commercial pads. They are open to trying natural alternatives. However, due to lack of available options, they keep using conventional pads.

With growing awareness about environmental impacts of plastic products, eco-conscious customers are willing to go an extra mile to support brands that offer plastic-free alternatives. Sparkle pads are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Unlike other “Organic” or “Green” brands that are imported and sold at a higher price, Sparkle pads are an affordable eco-friendly alternative.

Marketing Strategy:

Online marketing: We aim to spread awareness about menstruation and healthy sanitary pads though our social media channels, beauty bloggers, influencers and prominent press contacts. Paid promotions will include specifically targeted online ads.

Offline Marketing: We aim to actively participate in world-renowned competitions, conferences and relevant events to get exposure, build network and spread our message to a large audience. Besides word of mouth, we also plan to hold regular menstrual hygiene awareness seminars at schools, colleges and corporate offices.

Distribution Channel:
To create brand awareness and improve product visibility, we plan to sell Sparkle pads though our website, other major online marketplaces such as Amazon as well as privately owned small eco-oriented shops, pharmacies and build traction in offline retail space.

We plan to fund our operations primarily through revenue generated from sales of sanitary pads and personal savings. We are also open to explore other options, if necessary, which include network of friends and family, grants, awards and other ways to raise capital.

Our secondary source of revenue includes sales of sanitary pads to NGOs at subsidized rates. We have collaborated with NGOs that are active in rural areas to establish direct distribution channel in remote villages of India.

Out of 350 million girls and women in India, only 20% use sanitary napkins. With aggressive awareness campaigns from NGOs, celebrities and Bollywood movies addressing menstruation such as “Pad Man”, the rate at which young girls and women are adapting to using sanitary napkin is growing exponentially. Indian government has also launched a major initiative called “Swachh Bharat (Clean India)” to promote green projects that reduce waste.

As our production capacity expands, we aim to approach more eco-oriented shops, pharmacies and build traction prior to approaching big retail chains. In the future, we also aim to explore natural baby diapers and face wipes industry as well as export oriented markets since we already have the relevant experience and expertise.

Our third source of revenue includes sales of 100% organic fertilizer to local farmers. Using banana stem sap, we produce organic fertilizer though a process of bacterial fermentation. This fertilizer naturally enhances crop yield by up to 40% and reduces the use of other chemical fertilizers and pesticides by up to 35%.

The global feminine hygiene product market is a multi-billion dollar industry that is dominated by a handful of large corporations. They manufacture non-biodegradable sanitary pads made of plastic and other petro-chemical by-products. We have worked very hard to develop a natural product that is highly capable of disrupting current market. We are applying to Solve because we need help in the following areas to grow our market share aggressively and maximize our overall impact.

Mentorship: We are looking for advisory board members with experience in scalability and commercialization of upcoming brands with high potential for growth. We seek mentorship and guidance from the Sovle team to grow our business on global scale and have maximum possible impact. We also wish to get connected to Solve’s network of investors in the circular economy space for capital injection when we go for fully automatic production line and product diversification (natural baby diapers).

Technical Expertise: We are consistently improving our banana fibre extraction machines for better efficiency, faster operations and higher fibre yield. We seek technical help from the Solve team with experience in machine design and manufacturing.

Networking: After spending three years in R&D and product development, we now want to share our innovation with the whole world. We hope to get connected with other teams who are passionately making a positive impact in the world by supporting circular economy. We also seek to discover influencers who can help us with increasing our brand visibility on a global platform.

Supply Chain and Distribution:

We seek to connect with organizations with established supply chain and distribution network across North America and Europe. Replacing petrochemical by-products, chlorine bleached wood pulp and harsh chemicals with plastic-free, eco-friendly, all-natural and sustainable plant-based ingredients appeal directly to today’s young and conscious consumers. We want Sparkle boxes to reach on the shelves of major retail chains in North America and Europe.

Impact Maximization:

With our “Buy One, Give One” initiative, we donate a pad to a girl in need with every Sparkle purchase. We want to get connected to NGOs or representatives from the UN who are working towards solving humanitarian crises around the world. We hope to donate sanitary pads to refugee camps or health camps through NGO partners who are active at the grass root level.

We intend to utilize the prize for improving our machines and increasing production capacity to maximize our impact.

Circular economy

In India, there are around 800,000 hectors of banana tree plantations which results in 64 million tonnes discarded stems. We use these discarded stems to produce biodegradable sanitary pads and 100% organic liquid fertilizer. Banana farmers earn extra income each harvest by selling discarded stems.

With only 1 in 6 women using sanitary pads in India, around 150,000 tonnes of pad waste is generated per year.

Conventional sanitary pads contain around 3.5g of petrochemical plastic with every sanitary pad releasing around 21 grams of carbon dioxide in the process. Thousands of tonnes of sanitary pad waste remain unchanged in the landfill for over 600-800 years after disposal. Burning the plastic pad releases toxic pollutants in the environment. All-natural Sparkle pads biodegrade within 6 months of disposal. With Sparkle, we aim to eliminate around 100 kg of pad waste per woman in her lifetime.

Over 200 million women in India use rags or ash during their periods, risking infection. With our “Buy One, Give One” initiative, every time we sell a Sparkle pad, we donate a pad to a girl in need.

Innovation

Current banana fibre extraction machines have very low production capacity with high wastage-ratio due to inefficient design. We have developed auto-feed machines with speed controllers, conveyor belts, brushing unit and drying unit with four times the production capacity and twice the fibre yield compared to existing machines.

With Sparkle, we aim to support circular economy by positively impacting women, agriculture, local economy and the environment.

Over 200 million girls and women in India use rags or ash during their periods, risking infection. Millions of girls and women miss up to 50-60 days of school or work every year because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products. It is a leading reason for higher school dropout rates of adolescent girls than boys once they reach puberty. Lack of education results in vicious cycle of illiteracy and unemployment which leads to poverty.

According to UNICEF, around 23% of girls in India drop out of school once they reach puberty. When adolescent girls have access to sanitary napkins, school dropout rate decreases by 90%. We believe that having access to sanitary pads can empower young girls and women in rural communities by ensuring they can have equal opportunities to reach their full potential.

Through our “Buy one Give One” initiative, we donate a pad to a girl in need with every Sparkle purchase. In India, we have donated over 50,000 pads directly to girls in need through Manvilas Charitable Trust and United World Foundation. We also support NGOs that focus on women’s empowerment initiatives in rural communities by offering them sanitary pads at subsidised rates.

The Innovation for Women Prize will help us with expanding our production capacity so that we can reach more girls and women in rural communities and maximize our impact.