Feature BloodyCycle: “Together, we change the rules”
BloodyCycle is a swiss non-profit centric organisation created with the ambition to ease access to sustainable and affordable menstrual products.
According to UNICEF, the average woman spends the equivalent of 10 years menstruating yet, over 500 million women around the world do not have access to suitable resources when their period comes. Period poverty is defined as the lack of access to sanitary products resulting from financial constraints. In a country like Switzerland and its high cost of living, necessities such as menstrual products can turn into a form of luxury, especially if sustainable, ethically manufactured and of organic sources.
For the three co-founders of BloodyCycle, Hugo Casademont (21), Alona (19) and Nathan Cohen (22), what started as a conversation between friends grew into a concrete project when Alona shared her frustration regarding the access to sanitary products and a desire for all menstruating people to have access to products both respectful of the environment and the human body. Both business students at the University of St. Gallen, the boys saw in Alona’s discourse a real opportunity to change the rules. Together, the three students agreed that to “guarantee access to as many people as possible, [they] have chosen to distribute [their] menstrual products at cost price and therefore without making a profit.” Like so, the idea for the solidarity initiative was born and, after two years of relentless work and diverse challenges, BloodyCycle was finally launched on the 11th of November 2020.
For Hugo and Nathan, it was the realization of their cis-men privileges and their shared interest in social entrepreneurship that motivated them meanwhile, for Alona, it was her position as a menstruating individual that pushed her into devoting her gap year to the BloodyCycle’s project. Despite discussing every decision as a team, each one of the co-founders applied their personal skills to use. Nathan “the operation’s brain” implements his marketing and business expertise while his sister Alona focuses on the products' creative side and graphic design. Finally, Hugo and his abilities in program development take care of the IT side of the project.
When meeting the co-founders, Alona and Nathan Cohen, figures and fervent political discourses were expected. Instead, the Cohen siblings expressed a humble dedication to their project in the most eloquent way, bringing a very compassionate light to the taboo triggered by period poverty.
Initially, the idea was to facilitate the daily act of acquiring sanitary products but with their thousands of flourishing ideas, the project began with one certainty: no compromise regarding the brand’s value. While looking for possible partners that the team realised how little sanitary products were donated. And with a closer look, it seemed unfair that less fortunate people could only have access to products full of harmful chemicals. That is why, BloodyCycle made a promise to deliver responsible products, manufactured as locally as possible, in 100% certified organic cotton GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and ICEA, plastic-free, chlorine-free, fragrance-free and superabsorbent-free.
The first (and hardest) challenge was to find the right factory to set the project into motion. They quickly realised that it would be impossible to proceed with Swiss factories, however, they refused to go beyond Europe for simple reasons: human rights and environmental impacts. After 18 months of research, the young entrepreneurs found a Spanish family business in accordance with their work ethic. Moreover, part of the electricity used during manufacturing would be supplied by the river flows nearby the factory. The team’s perseverance was finally paying off.
So, why produce tampons first? “Well, to be honest, this might be the only compromise we’ve done so far...” Nathan says. “In fact, it would be impossible to pretend fighting period poverty while only offering reusable products as some people just can’t sanitize their products” adds Alona. BloodyCycle couldn’t accept to put (already) vulnerable women’s health at risk for the sake of zero waste. Indeed, reusable products, such as menstrual cups, require to be cleaned in boiling water after each use. Luxury homelessness can’t afford. “Right now, the priority is to help as many as possible and disposable products seemed like the right way to start.” Of course, the initiative needs funds to fulfil its purpose hence, this strategic decision.
So far, the website offers a solidarity subscription allowing members to order as many products as they wish, at their desired frequency and delivered at home. They also have a donation system, allowing non-menstruating people to become an ally in the fight against period poverty. Inspired by the business model of the Aravind Eye Hospitals in India, the cross-priced subsidy permits people with a higher purchase power to contribute to helping people less fortunate. Like so, Nathan explains that “the money collected is used to subsidise the costs of production and distributions, thus making the products even more accessible.” The long-term objective would be to be able to reduce the price of the products so more people can be involved in this solidarity process. As for right now, one box of 16 tampons is priced at 4.90CHF (about £4), shipping included.
What about the profits? Their website states that “each order directly supports a charity organisation.” Thanks to their committed partners, BloodyCycle supports the association La Farce, a free grocery shop that fights against student precariousness and food waste. They also are in collaboration with CARITAS and, the Public Institutions for Integration (EPI) who are in charge of preparing the orders. “The next step for the initiative is to set up a system of click-and-collect with grocery stores sharing similar values to their brand as it would reduce the cost of the products by getting rid of the shipping cost,” says Nathan. Their only obstacle: COVID19 and its constant threat of closing down non-essential stores.
The pandemic presented its fair share of challenges regarding the launch of the initiative but overall, the founders were relieved to have some extra time to think (and re-think) every detail of their project. “The difficulty lays in the fact that there is no precedent to what we are doing. The way we are developing our organisation is unique which can be a little bit overwhelming at times.” Admits Nathan. As for his sister, it was important to address every menstruating individual, regardless of their gender. Therefore, they had to think of a gender-neutral packaging design, a first in the history of menstrual products. Learning as they went, the young adults had to navigate through lockdown with no textbook on how-to-communicate-and-build-the-perfect-business-plan. But overall, “this experience brought us closer as a family and as friends.”
With a little bit over 3,500 orders on their first launch, BloodyCycle was pleased by the public’s reception as only the tampons were announced. “We’re not anxious about the conversion ratio as we’re still a work in progress. So far, we haven’t released everything, and, except for our Instagram account, no press was involved,” comments Alona as the siblings confess having new sanitary products coming out soon. For now, the committed team is focusing on “improving our impact upon Mankind and the environment.” And hopefully, this way, projects such as BloodyCycle become a way of understanding and fighting period poverty so, “together we change the rules.”
Back in February of this year, I met the Cohen siblings (Alona and Nathan) to learn more about their initiative. The article was written within the frame of my degree, for my module Introduction to Journalism and was celebrated by a first-class mark. But the good grade isn't what makes this article so special to me. As a menstruating woman, feminist and writer in the making, this feature means the world to me and in the light of BloodyCycle's latest launch (including pads, menstrual cups and of course, tampons), I thought I would share it with you.
The BloodyCycle's team has come a long way since this winter and I am thrilled to see how far they've come and how far they'll go.
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