The Atlantic Examines Indian Company’s Efforts To Produce Sanitary Napkins, Educate Women On Use

The Atlantic examines how a company called Jayashree Industries, based in Singanallur, Coimbatore — “the textile hub in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India” — “is working to both help women understand how to use sanitary pads and to employ locals in the napkins’ production.” According to the magazine, “Jayashree Industries has created some 700 brands of napkins in 30 of India’s states, with names like Mother Care, Softex, Relax, Touch Free, Be Free, Rosy, and Real Free,” and “[d]ozens of sanitary napkins have regional names, printed in local languages so they can be accessed by customers who cannot read English.” According to owner Arunachalam Muruganantham, “7,000 people have been employed so far, and more than three million women have shifted from using rags to using pads,” The Atlantic notes (Shariff, 8/2).

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