It’s plastic-free, period. These cups are made from a soft, Fair Trade, FSC certified natural rubber*, making them a hygienic and environmentally friendly sanitary product you can have confidence in. These cups are vegan and made from a natural, Fair Trade environmentally friendly material, and they do not contain plastic or silicone and are also free from nasties like BPA, PVC, or phthalates.

Menstrual cups collect the blood rather than absorbs it, so a cup can hold up to three times the amount of a regular tampon, meaning less faff – you don’t need to remember to carry spare tampons or pads anymore! These cups are reusable and are cleaned just using water - a low-maintenance solution for your monthlies.

Sizing:

‘Size S holds 8 ml, is 6.1 cm high and 3.8 cm in diameter. Recommended as suitable for women who have very easy bleeding.
Size M holds 13 ml, is 6.65 cm high and 4.1 cm in diameter. Recommended as suitable for women who have not given birth and are under 30 years old.

Size L holds 16 ml, is 6.95 cm high and 4.4 cm in diameter. Recommended as suitable for women who have given birth or are over 30 years old.

Size XL holds 20 ml, is 7.2 cm high and 4.7 cm in diameter. Recommended as suitable for women who have moderate to very heavy bleeding.’

Full instructions for use are included with each period cup, along with an organic Fairtrade cotton bag for storage when not in use. Please remember to disinfect the cup by placing it in boiling water for 10 minutes before using it for the first time.

*not suitable for those allergic to latex.

Please note: There is a small plastic window on the packaging of this product, oops! This was an unintentional mistake that happened during the ordering process, and we got stuck with it. We think it is better to own up to the mistake and make you aware upfront. For more information, please see the explanation in the section below labelled ‘Material Ratings’.

Natural Rubber Period Cups

Name: Natural Rubber Period Cups
Brand: Fair Squared

£10.00

£9.00

Quantity

Single-use tampons and pads – which come individually wrapped in plastic and are made of a combination of plastic and cotton. In the case of tampons, there are also plastic applicators for some of these as well. It’s understandable why plastic was felt to be a good choice for sanitary items, plastic is, after all, waterproof, which helps with containing accidental spills… but having a monthly flow that typically lasts up to a week, during which time you need to use multiple of these single-use absorbers, means that a lot of plastic waste is created. Unfortunately, lack of education in how to dispose of these items has also led many to believe that you can just flush them down the loo, which is not at all true! This harmful myth has led to a rise of used sanitary items being found washed up on beaches. Having done quite a few beach litter picks, I’ve seen this in person, and it is one of the grossest bits of litter you’ll find. These items contribute to causing blockages in the sewer system which can lead to sewage overflow into rivers and onto beaches… it’s grim and not at all uncommon.

This cup is also an alternative to period cups made of silicone for those who prefer to avoid it.
These menstrual cups are a plastic-free and zero-waste alternative to disposable sanitary items such as tampons and pads. Natural rubber is used for many medical and hygiene products, you’ll recognise it by its other name, latex. One of the most useful properties of latex/natural rubber is its elasticity. This makes these period cups easy to fold to aid inserting and makes them highly resistant to tearing, so they are very durable. They are designed to be reused and are leakproof, just the same as plastic or silicone.

You can use your cup at night, whilst doing exercise including swimming… it will keep you covered for all eventualities. You only need one cup; you don’t need to change the size based on where you are in your cycle. Handy, and less hassle.

If you haven’t used a menstrual cup before, please allow yourself some time to get used to it, as just like all period products, they may feel uncomfortable or strange upon first use before your body adjusts to them. Remember the first few times you used any sort of sanitary product? Of course, these things take getting used to, so be patient with yourself while getting used to swapping your period product of choice to an eco-friendlier one. For some, it will be a doddle, for others, a short waddle. …that was a joke it shouldn’t put you off.

All carbon emissions produced in the making and transporting of this product have been offset by Fair Squared and so these menstrual cups have been labelled CO2 neutral.
Tampons and sanitary pads are generally single-use, for the obvious reason that they would be a bloody mess to use again. (Unless they are made from a material that can be cleaned. Reusable sanitary pads or ‘period pants’ are becoming more common. We will eventually stock these things too just give us time.) Single-use, conveniently means that you have to keep buying the item, again and again, especially considering that this is a monthly occurrence for half of the world’s population. There was clearly a lot of money to be made by companies/brands selling these single-use items as they got those customers early, and kept them buying monthly for around 40 years. …That’s a lot of sanitary waste throughout your life, and actually, a lot of money, as you are literally being bled dry paying for your periods this way.

Menstrual cups like this natural rubber one, are a long-term reusable solution/aid to your monthly visit by Aunt Flo(w). This cup costs £10 and you should only need a new one if you need to change the size or if you lose it. How much were you spending on single-use sanitary items? These cups are well worth it if you are looking to save money. A lot of eco-friendly switches can be more expensive, but this is not one of those, as it will save you quite a bit of money in the long run. Think of how long you will need to continue to use period products for, and work out your cost savings. I can guarantee you that you’ll be annoyed at how much you have to spend if you are still buying single-use sanitary products. The costs of being born with a uterus… Bloody annoying to put it mildly!
What are they made from?

Packaging – Hands up …I made a plastic mistake which I’m mortified by. The Fair Squared website showed their silicone-free period cups in their new packaging, which is plastic-free. However, they sent me the period cups I ordered in the old-style packaging which includes a plastic window. Obviously, they still needed to use this old packaging up, (rather than throwing it away) but I was still a bit miffed. Actually, quite a lot miffed, as I felt like it would be wasteful to send them back, (they came from Germany) and silly to ask for an exchange for their new plastic-free packaging. What is worse, tiny plastic windows on the packaging for this product or the CO2 emissions wasted from the transport to do this exchange. I had a values clash and felt a bit stuck on this one, I’ve actually had these cups in the office for months, but honestly just felt too embarrassed about making such a mistake I couldn’t bring myself to do anything with them. So, there you have it. I’ve finally decided/left it too long so the decision no longer exists, to just put up these natural rubber period cups in their stupid packaging up on the website. I’m drawing attention to my mistake and letting customers know that this packaging will contain a bit of plastic so that they can make a fully informed decision about if they want to purchase this item. I need to stop beating myself up about it and let you, the customer, decide. I hope you can understand my decision, I try to be as transparent as possible and I would like to hope that you all value this transparency.

Period cups – ‘made from 100% Fairtrade and FSC certified natural rubber’.

Bag for cup – 100% organic Fairtrade cotton.

Where do they come from?

Fair Squared is a German company. Their rubber is cultivated in India and Sri Lanka.

Are they sustainable?

Natural Rubber – Tapped straight from living and growing rubber trees, natural rubber is the sap of this kind of tree. Grooves are cut into the tree and a container is attached to the trunk for the sap to collect. There are issues with monoculture plantations of rubber trees in some countries, but natural rubber is a much more eco-friendly option than synthetic rubber which is synthesised from crude oil. As you no doubt know, synthetic rubber doesn’t biodegrade but instead breaks down into harmful microplastics. As rubber trees are not cut down to access the sap, they are useful for CO2 capture and storage.

Organic cotton – Cotton needs a ridiculous amount of water to grow. It is also very labour intensive because cotton is sensitive and attracts lots of pests. Therefore, in terms of materials, cotton is not the most sustainable as a rule, as there are better alternatives. Unfortunately, many of the alternatives, like hemp, aren’t grown on the same scale. Cotton is much better if it is organic. Organic means no pesticides for one. If you spray pesticides all over your cotton, they are going to get into the water, which will be absorbed by the soil, resulting in pesticides in the water supply. Not to mention all the other toxins used in the production and manufacturing of cotton. Buy organic cotton because the alternative is appalling.

How about ethical?

This is Fair Rubber – so Fair Squared have an open and transparent supply chain. Fair Rubber is the equivalent of Fairtrade, but just for rubber. Fairtrade has its limitations, as it only covers certain commodities such as coffee, chocolate and sugar. Fair Rubber works to make sure that rubber tappers work under fair conditions and are paid fairly; an additional 50 cents (in Euros) is paid per kg of rubber, which is the fair-trade premium and helps provide a regular income to the workers. They also make sure that the rubber is produced to a certain standard.

Fair Squared decided to support an alternative trade system with their business, one that promotes and implements a fairer system for workers and protects the environment and animal welfare. All of their products are produced under this fair-trade system and they pay the fair-trade premium to all of the producers they work with, which helps benefits the communities in these areas.

Extra good stuff:

As a company, Fair Squared have many seals of approval for their products or business practices, including - Fair Trade, NaTrue, The Vegan Society (flower logo), PETA Cruelty-Free, Halal, Fair Rubber, FSC, Climate Partner. These accreditations show their ongoing commitment to being transparent, ethical and sustainable as a business. Fair Squared have, through Climate Partner, made their products ‘climate-neutral’, any emissions emitted during manufacture are offset through financing a project to provide families in Raichur, India, with clean and efficient pressure cookers.

They also have a new zero-waste commitment which they are working towards.

Conclusion –

Bleed freely in the knowledge that your natural rubber cup has got you, period.