Saathi wins 2019 St Andrews Prize for the Environment
A project which produces eco-friendly, 100% biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads in the state of Gujarat, India, has won the 2019 St Andrews Prize for the Environment.
The sanitary product is composed of agricultural waste from banana tree farmers and enables girls and women in rural Jharkhand to have access to clean biodegradable menstruation products.
The prize of US$100,000 was presented to Kristin Kagetsu from Saathi at a ceremony on 21 February 2019. Ms Kagetsu said:
“Winning this prize will help us get more international recognition, raise awareness about improving feminine hygiene in India and reduce harmful waste created by sanitary pads. The prize money will also give us a significant boost in being able to scale up and purchase new machinery to be able to increase our capacity and reach 30 times more women.”
The prize, now in its twenty-first year, is an environmental initiative by the University of St Andrews and independent exploration and production company, ConocoPhillips. It recognises significant contributions to environmental issues and concerns with a focus on sustainability, conservation, biodiversity and community development.
Since its launch in 1998, the Prize has attracted more than 5,600 entries from around the world and donated almost US$2 million to environmental initiatives.
Visit the St Andrews Prize for the Environment website for a full list of previous winners and details about the Prize. You can also follow the Prize on Facebook.