CARINNE CHAMBERS

COFOUNDER, DIVA INTERNATIONAL

THE MENSTRUAL cup has been around since the 1930s, but it took a mother-daughter team to revolutionize it. Francine Chambers came across the alternative to pads and tampons in the 1990s and started distributing a latex model in Canada. After her daughter, Carinne, graduated from business school, they teamed up to start a company, and by 2003, they were selling their own improved silicone version—the Divacup. Today, it’s a top seller in the sanitaryprotection category across the country. The pair was intent on providing women with a better period experience and helping reduce the billions of tonnes of feminine-hygiene waste that ends up in landfills. “My mom has always been ahead of her time, as far as eco-consciousness,” says Carinne, 38, of Francine, who has retired from the business.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

“Buy products with minimal or no packaging, and go to local farmers’ markets rather than buying the packaged foods and products that we’re so reliant on.”