Our commitments
Sustainability
- Social and environmental responsibility is found in what we consider to be the origin of our brand. For all the decisions we have to make, sustainability is the main factor to take into account.
- Thus, we have adopted a sustainability strategy that goes beyond the materials chosen in our manufacturing or the deliveries of our orders.
Environmental Responsibility
Learn about some of our environmental responsibility commitments.
Materials
- All the materials of our menstrual underwear are recycled or of renewable origin, except for the fabric of the waterproof layer, as we believe that increasing the longevity of the product will always be the choice with the least environmental impact. Thus, we guarantee at least two years of use (with machine washes up to 30°C), without a decrease in waterproofing capacity.
- In this first collection, we managed to source both the materials for the menstrual underwear and the waterproof bag from surplus stock of national factories.
- The composition labels, besides being mandatory, are useful in the sorting phase of pieces for recycling. However, to ensure comfort, cutting the label is one of the first things we do when we buy underwear. In order not to compromise end-of-life recycling and to ensure maximum comfort, while saving fabric (cotton or polyester) from the label, we decided to print our labels instead of having them printed.
Shipments
- All our shipping boxes are made of recycled cardboard, as well as the interior packing paper. They can be returned to us (in Lisbon and Guimarães) for reuse.
- The card with washing instructions, composition, and our direct phone contact (because it is natural for questions to arise and we are here to help!) is also printed on recycled material.
- The dried flowers that accompany the order are all (without exception) reused from surplus party and company materials and can also be delivered to us for reuse.
- The only non-recyclable material in the shipment is the label that seals our box. We are working to find an option that ensures the integrity of the box and is made from 100% recycled materials.
- We chose carriers with electric shipments and offset transport emissions when the electric option is not viable (such as when shipping to islands).
Social responsibility
Often overlooked, social responsibility is, for us, part of an integrated sustainability strategy. And this can be seen in some commitments we have adopted.
- We chose, in order to meet the most rigorous quality standards, to work with a Portuguese family-owned factory of underwear that has over 45 years of experience in this area and was a pioneer in the production of menstrual underwear. We regularly visit the factory and personally know the team that brings our menstrual underwear to life. We make a point of maintaining this close relationship with our suppliers, in order to ensure good labor practices for our clients and create successful partnerships that allow us to innovate and bring increasingly better products to the market.
- For work that requires less specialization (such as the waterproof transport bags for our menstrual underwear), we work closely with independent seamstresses, with many years of experience, who prefer to manage their time and income individually. We believe that, with this choice, we help independent women secure their freedom and financial stability.
- Instead of models, we decided to hire two women who inspire us greatly in the field of sustainability for our launch session. We want to amplify the voices of women who, through their work, help bring beauty, balance, and justice to the world, and we feel that, through them, we can inspire so many others to find their way.
- We are a team of women for women, in a world where business management is still predominantly male. We believe in the power of sisterhood and in supporting and amplifying the work of other women. If you know of any woman's work, anywhere in the world, that intersects with ours, please send us an email to hello@normperiod.com. We would love to stay in touch!
We know that sustainability is not a "dead end" and that we are only at the starting point. There is much more to be done to continuously improve, and we will be here, month after month, year after year, making sustainability our middle name and enhancing all our operations to generate the maximum positive impact on the planet and on people.