RecycleFest + Lunapads: Meet the sustainable Vancouver brand committed to a ‘socially just’ way of business

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We’re excited! Our favourite recycling event of the year is just weeks away. RecycleFest is back for 2019 on July 13th at Vancouver’s Trout Lake. It’s set to be a day dedicated to celebrating sustainable living, reducing and repairing, with (as the name suggests) plenty of opportunities to recycle! You can bring your old, broken or unwanted small appliances and power tools for recycling. You will also get a chance to enjoy live entertainment and check out local eco-friendly vendors all in one place. At this year’s event, we’re proud to be partnering with brands that share our passion for sustainability. We recently caught up with the team from Lunapads who will be offering their innovative reusable menstrual products on the day. If you’re interested in learning how they divert more than 2 million products from landfill every single month, read on.

So, who is Lunapads, and how did it all begin?

Lunapads is a Vancouver based company that specializes in making high performing, reusable menstrual products to replace single-use pads and tampons. Our co-founder, social entrepreneur Madeleine Shaw, had been making and selling reusable pads and period underwear since 1993. Fast forward a few years to when Madeleine met Suzanne Siemens, a business savvy chartered accountant. They hit it off and partnered up to transform menstrual health.

How has your business changed since then?

We’ve grown, a lot, but we’re still a small company at heart, with only 12 employees! We’re still deeply committed to building a more environmentally-friendly and ‘socially just’ way of doing business to ensure a better future for menstruating people and the planet. Almost 20 years on, Lunapads has become a global leader in sustainable personal hygiene, acclaimed for our innovation, fearlessness and ongoing commitment to social justice.

How important is sustainability to your business? 

Very, in fact, we upcycle all our fabric offcuts and are committed to sourcing socially and environmentally sustainable fabric for all our products. We’re proud to be ClimateSmart certified and have a low carbon supply chain. Our pads and underwear are even sewn right here in Vancouver!

Plastic tampon waste on sandy beach. Reusable menstrual products can help reduce this waste

Why should customers switch to reusables like Lunapads?

There are approximately 73 million menstruating people in North America, each of whom will throw away 16,800 disposable pads or tampons in their lifetime. These products take hundreds of years to biodegrade, particularly as they come wrapped in plastic. Every piece of plastic ever made, still exists in some form, to this day. So, by choosing to use reusable menstrual products like Lunapads, Luna Undies, and The Diva Cup, you are doing your part to reduce landfill waste and help the environment.

How does RecycleFest align with your business?

We know that there are no truly disposable objects because our things stick around long after we discard them. RecycleFest provides an opportunity for community celebration and fun whilst also highlighting the important issues of recycling, upcycling, and repair! We love that events like this help us recognize the power we all have to make positive choices for ourselves, our communities and our planet.

Crowds at RecycleFest in Trout Lake Park, 2018

About RecycleFest

Bring your old, broken or unwanted small appliances and power tools to Trout Lake! The 5th annual RecycleFest, hosted by not-for-profit ElectroRecycle, is happening on Saturday 13 July from 10am to 3pm.

The free event has a wholesome line up featuring live music, yoga, sustainable lifestyle vendors, as well as burgers supplied by the street team at The Peak 102.7. For the kids, or young at heart, there will be face painting, a hula hoop zone and bouncy castle.

Despite an exciting line up of activities, the event isn’t just for fun. RecycleFest is serious about celebrating and sharing the importance of sustainable living, reducing, repairing and recycling.

Make sure to take a look through the full list of items ElectroRecycle accepts to see if there’s anything you can drop off. Please note the event will not collect electronics, such as TVs, laptops, phones, and printers.

What: RecycleFest (free community event)
Who: ElectroRecycle
Where: Trout Lake Park (3300 Victoria Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4M4)
When: Saturday 13 July 2019from 10 am to 3 pm

Due to unforeseeable circumstances, Luna Pads will not be able to attend RecycleFest this year. Please keep checking out their amazing products in the meantime!

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