If you’re always searching for an environmentally friendly option to replace toxic or otherwise harmful products, this is going to be right up your alley: Tampax has introduced a tampon made out of old spiderwebs.
Yes please! Anything to help the earth!
Tampax said in a press release, “We are proud to introduce Tampax Web tampons. We at Tampax wanted to offer our customers a fully biodegradable tampon option crafted from sustainable materials so women didn’t have to choose between the all-day confidence that a Tampax tampon provides and respecting the environment. Yes, our normal cotton tampons are also biodegradable, but by using old spiderwebs that the spiders no longer need and removing most of the dead bugs and stuff, we are recycling insect waste into a product that helps support women’s active lifestyles.”
While Tampax won’t divulge their proprietary methods for harvesting the old spiderwebs, they did explain that the process involves, “Checking really good that any spiders aren’t still using them,” and, “Gathering up the old webs on a stick sort of like spinning cotton candy onto a cotton candy cone.” They also claim that, “While old spiderwebs don’t offer much absorbency, they do look very similar to a standard cotton tampon, outside of being way bigger/floppier.”
Cool! Even if you don’t use these, like, every time you have your period, it’s still good to have a green option.
As companies face an “anti-woke” backlash, it’s good to see that some brands are still trying to do the right thing by introducing innovative new products with a conscience. It’s going to be interesting to keep an eye on this space and see what other women’s hygiene companies step up and follow Tampax’s lead, whether by using old spiderwebs or some other sustainable material, such as quinoa. Finally, some good news for the planet!
