Hempact, the student’s startup, won the funds in a World’s Challenge competition designed to further the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Nicole Sanchez, Hempact’s lead project manager, tells The Gateway Online that the pads are 100% biodegradable and will reduce landfill waste from sanitary napkins. Most hemp is grown in Alberta to produce oil, leaving behind fibers that end up in landfills.
They plan to introduce a prototype shortly, and the final product by January 2020.
“Even though you’re a guy you still have your mom, your sister, your girlfriend, your partner,” Sanchez adds. “For girls, you experience menstruation and you don’t think about the amount of waste that you accumulate per year. You should care because the environment is suffering a lot.”