Have you ever gone to the bathroom, realized you got your period and then had to dig through your bag or text every single friend or group chat begging for a tampon or pad? I know I have had this experience many times. Yeah, sometimes, if you are “lucky”, you may be in a public restroom, and they will have that metal box that will carry pads and tampons. I think we all know that these metal boxes suck. Half the time they don’t work, then sometimes you have to pay a quarter for the box, and then most of the time these boxes don’t even have period products in them. In a miracle situation where you can actually get something out of these awful boxes, the products you receive are incredibly uncomfortable and somehow make a horrible time even worse.
I think this nightmare situation is FINALLY coming to an end, at least on our campus! I was recently made aware of a partnership between Furman University and The Organic Project that I think is exciting for all of the women on campus. To get more people aware and hype about this partnership, I interviewed Furman senior Morgan Abell, an intern at The Organic Project, for more information on the organization and the collaboration between the organization and our school.
Q: What is The Organic Project (TOP)?
A: TOP is an organic period product company dedicated to not only producing organic products that are better for consumers and the earth but also contributing to better education about period product insecurity and initiatives that attempt to relieve the burdens of those insecurities.
Q: What products are available from TOP? How are they different from other brands like Tampax or Kotex?
A: TOP makes period products (tampons, pads, and liners) as well as pouches, tote bags, and stickers. TOP products are different from big brands like Tampax and Kotex because the materials of their products are 100% certified organic cotton! They also offer two different options in tampons: cardboard applicators and a plant-based applicator, aka the ‘planticator’, made of sugar cane. Moreover, with every purchase of products, they donate period products to girls and women in need.
Q: What does this partnership between Furman and TOP entail?
A: This partnership between Furman and TOP aims to provide access to free period products in bathrooms around campus. The low-maintenance dispensers donated by TOP will be different from the dispensers we currently see in public restrooms because they will actually work and have product in them (!!!). These dispensers will be in each bathroom, and students can take what they need!
Q: What are the goals for this partnership?
A: The main goal of this partnership is to increase awareness of period product insecurity and alleviate those insecurities among Furman students. This partnership not only aims to provide period products to students in need but also provide quality products that are good for users and the environment.
For more information on The Organic Project, go to the following links: