They've been around for decades but have only recently become the talk of the town in terms of period products, and there's a good reason for that. 5 actually. Here are the benefits of using a menstrual cup!

1. They're a whole lot cheaper than pads and tampons
One cup can last up to 10 years. A WHOLE DECADE. So while a cup can set you back $50-$60 up front, that works out to be $6 a year or $0.50 a month. Compare that to the monthly cost of pads and/or tampons (at least 10 times that amount) and your savings are huge.

2. They're a zero-waste alternative 
Menstrual cups transform your period into a waste-free event. No more toilet paper-wrapped used pads and tampons in the trash, and no more packaging!

3. They're so much more convenient. 
Depending on your flow, pads and tampons need to be changed every couple of hours. In contrast, menstrual cups can stay inside ya for up to 12 hours. Wash it out morning and night and that. is. it. You don't have to think about it ALL DAY. The best part? You can sleep with it in. How many times have you gotten comfortable in bed only to remember you still have a tampon in? Never again!

4. Never worry about a tampon string again. 
Periods at the beach are a real bitch - constant paranoia about a loose string and having to change your tampon in a crusty-ass beach bathroom as soon as you're out of the water. Switch to a menstrual cup and hard pass on that crap.

5. There's a menstrual cup for everyone, and you'll probably be a convert. 
Whether you've got a light or heavy flow, there's a menstrual cup for you thanks to the dozens of brands now on the market which differ in size, shape, and price point. Chances are you're going to love it once you get used to it, too: a 2011 Canadian study found that around 91% of women in the menstrual cup group indicated that they'd not only continue to use a menstrual cup, but recommend them to others.

They take a bit of getting used to (my first cycle I was basically clawing around inside my vagina to get the damn thing out) but honestly now that I've got insertion and removal methods sorted, I'm telling everyone I know about how life-changing they are.

Have you tried a menstrual cup? Loved it? Hated it? Leave a comment!

xoxo E.M.

Some days it feels like the battle to reduce the amount of waste I produce is steadfastly uphill. The more you get into the movement, the more you realise just how many things are hard - or just about impossible - to find without packaging that can be reused or recycled. 

There is, however, good news on the horizon. Companies are becoming more and more aware of what we want, and indeed what the environment needs. It's also a win for them - if approached strategically, becoming more sustainable can produce significant benefits including lower costs and increased efficiency. 

On Tuesday, Unilever called for greater industry action on packaging waste, saying that more progress is needed in the move away from things like single use plastics, towards a circular economy. This follows their 2017 announcement that they will ensure all of it's packaging is re-usable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Other companies that have taken this pledge include L'Oreal, Pepsi, The Coca Cola Company, and Walmart. 

Henkel (the company that owns Schwarzkopf) are aiming to implement a 20% reduction in their packaging to sales ratio by 2020, and UK giant Iceland Foods will eliminate plastic packaging from it's brands by 2023.

It's a good start, and it's great to see industry getting on board, considering there is a huge amount of packaging waste being created, however more work needs to be done. In the EU-28 in 2014, almost 163kg of packaging waste was generated per person. Over the decade to 2013, Australia regressed in terms of waste management, generating 53.0 million tonnes of waste in 2010-11.

So what can be done? Money talks - vote with your dollar. Stop buying products with unsatisfatory packaging. And for those products that you can't seem to find without it, speak up. Write an email, file a complaint, get on social media. It's time to start calling this out.