W¯a Collective saving cash, environment
Wa¯ Collective has prevented more than 1.2 million disposable menstrual products from going to the landfill and has saved menstruators over $400,000 this year alone.
The Wellington-based company offers menstrual cups, which last up to 10 years, as a waste-free alternative to disposable products.
Owner Olie Body, 25, said the company prioritised ethical choices for its customers and the environment.
‘‘It’s really important to me that if we’re doing a whole lot of work in Aotearoa for good, we aren’t just creating other problems elsewhere.’’
Wa¯ Collective ran as a business and a social enterprise, meaning there was a commitment to doing ‘‘the good mahi’’ with its profits.
Its manufacturing partners ensured the cups were ethically made, produced zero waste, and had complete material traceability.
Wa¯ Collective started with a survey three years ago that found one in three menstruating university students had skipped class because they did not have access to menstrual products.
Until then, Body thought it was a problem that happened elsewhere. ‘‘But no, this is a problem that is happening right in our own backyards.’’
Much of the company’s profit went into subsidising cups for students, to address the need for affordable and accessible options. Full-priced cups cost $49, and these subsidised student cups that cost $20.
As of September, it had provided close to 3000 subsidised menstrual cups to students all throughout Aotearoa.
Body didn’t expect to be running a business at such a young age, but was named a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year awards in July.
There was ‘‘so much you have to work through’’ as a young woman running a business, Body said.
‘‘It was amazing being able to sit at that table and breathe through that and actually own that I belonged there,’’ she said.
‘‘You will never feel entirely ready. While there may appear to be right and wrong decisions, it’s all learnings, learnings that open different doors. It’s about looking as wide as you possibly can, and then taking that leap.’’
Menstrual cup owner Lauren Small said the process was tailored ‘‘amazingly well’’ and the lower price for students made it all the more ‘‘comfortable’’.
She said the company’s social media had created a space that was safe for everyone to share information and feel comfortable talking about cups to friends.
Leilani Baker had been using a Wa¯ cup for a year and a half, and was grateful for Wa¯ Collective, not just for their Wa¯ cups, but for everything they shared on social media.
‘‘They’re more than just sanitary products. They’re feminists, and they take all the embarrassment out of being a woman and having periods.’’