Real-life `padman' Dr. Arunachalam to launch biodegradable sanitary napkins

He made the announcement while speaking at The Indus Enterprises (TiE) Sustainability Global Virtual Summit. He said that the trial was on and he could meet 98% success.

Nearly 12 billion sanitary pads are discarded each year. According to Menstrual Health Alliance India, one sanitary pad could take 500 to 800 years to decompose as the plastic used is non-biodegradable and can lead to health and environmental hazards.

Dr. Murugananthan has always believed in the philosophy of nature-friendly products. "We are happy that we are about to hit the market with the most environment-friendly, low-cost sanitary napkins," he said

Replying to the moderator Bhanu Prakash's question, Dr. Murugananthan said that he never wanted to be a unicorn. "All I know is sweet corn," joked Dr. Murugananthan.

He said that business is not about winning but a journey. "I always dream of how I can create a social impact," Dr. Murugananthan said.

Despite all the personal and professional challenges that came along his way, Dr. Murugananthan stayed focused on the problem-90% of women in India are not using sanitary pads. "Making India 100% sanitary napkin country from the current level of less than 10% is our dream," he said.

Known to the world as the Pad Man, Dr.Murugananthan has created a measurable social impact. He had always wanted to create a million rural employment opportunities for poor women. Out of his efforts, over 1,10,000 rural women got direct employment or livelihood created. Also, more than 45 million women shifted from unhygienic methods to hygienic sanitary pads.

TiE Sustainability Summit is the world's largest summit on sustainability space and is being attended by over 40,000 social enterprises, startups, and entrepreneurs from 54 countries. It is hosted by TiE Hyderabad.