An Indian startup that makes biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads has won the Nikkei Asia Award for its unique technology and potential benefit to society, Nikkei announced in December.

Company co-founder, Kristin Kagetsu, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said both her passion to work for a sustainable environment and underprivileged women led her to India. There, with co-founder Tarun Bothra, she founded Saathi, in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, in 2015.

Saathi, which means “companion” in Hindi, sanitary pads are made from locally sourced banana and bamboo fibers.

She and Bothra, who graduated from Gujarat’s Nirma University, both studied mechanical engineering. The partners decided to apply their engineering knowledge and problem-solving skills to help fill that big gap, though in a sustainable way, “without creating plastic pollution,” while ensuring proper waste management.

Saathi napkins are 100% natural and far more comfortable than competing brands. When disposed, Saathi pads degrade within six months or 1200 times faster than their plastic counterparts.