At INDEX 2023, Birla Cellulose and Indian sanitary products manufacturer Sparkle announced a partnership to make a plastic-free feminine care pad. To achieve this, Birla crafted a range of topsheet solutions under its “Birla Purocel” brand to fit various product designs utilized by brands. Each option underwent thorough evaluation at Ginni Nonwovens’ commercial spunlace line and was tested in Birla’s specialized lab to get measured performance and ensure replicable outcomes at each brand. 

According to Rahul Bansal, global head of business development and AVP sales, Birla, the partnership with Sparkle came amidst growing concerns about the use of single-use plastics in period care and diaper products. “We at Birla Cellulose initiated research to find sustainable alternatives,” he says. “As a result, we successfully created a top sheet made with our viscose that meets consumers’ expectations for absorbency, softness and overall comfort during use. During our search for potential partners, we discovered that Sparkle, an innovative start-up, shares our commitment to sustainability and developing eco-friendly products. Therefore, we decided that collaborating with Sparkle was a natural choice for both companies.”

Founded by husband and wife Chirag and Hetel Virani, Sparkle manufactures its plastic-free feminine care products at a 50,000 sq. ft. manufacturing site dedicated solely to innovation and production. Sparkle’s manufacturing facility is equipped with a one-of-a-kind fully automatic Italian sanitary pad production line capable of producing over one million sustainable sanitary pads per day. It also has a dedicated 10,000 sq. ft. research and development facility that is conducting research on developing sustainable ingredients and their responsible disposal (Biodegradation, Bio Tech and Environment departments).

Sparkle has customized its production line so that it can process its sustainable, biodegradable and compostable ingredients and use several renewable and natural fibers that are not currently being utilized. Its machine is designed to produce not only ultra-thin pads and maxi-fluff sanitary pads of various sizes, but also panty liners, light incontinence pads and maternity pads. In the next two to three years, Sparkle aims to install its second sanitary pad line, a baby diaper line and an adult diaper line – all dedicated exclusively for the production of sustainable products. Besides being U.S. FDA registered, Sparkle’s manufacturing facility is also ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certified.

“We are the only company in India with this scale of production capacity (and one the very few companies in the world) that is committed to exclusively producing sustainable and plastic-free absorbent hygiene products,” Virani says.

According to Birla, plastic-free period care and diaper products can sometimes cost more and not work as well. This is why the company has focused on developing products that strike the right balance between sustainability, performance, and affordability. Such products would have a significant impact and could encourage other brands to reconsider their approach to plastic-free single-use period care and diaper products.

“As consumer expectations and regulatory requirements continue to evolve rapidly, collaborative product innovation has become essential,” Bansal says. “In order to keep up with these changes, we have adopted a collaborative approach for our innovations, which allows us to speed up the development and scaling process.”