Saathi 2019 St Andrews Prize for the Environment Winners Workshop

Saathi, 2019 winners of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment will return to St Andrews in February as part of the 2020 Prize activities.

Saathi produce eco-friendly hygiene products for women. Their mission is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, environment, and community.

Saathi began in 2015, when its four co-founders Kristin Kagetsu, Tarun Bothra, Amrita Saigal, and Grace Kane – graduates of MIT, Harvard and Nirma University – came together on a mission to create fully eco-friendly, compostable sanitary napkins, using locally sourced banana fibre from the state of Gujarat, where Saathi is based.

Inspired by the idea of improving women's access to sanitary pads in India and the potential to make a positive difference, Saathi undertook an engineering approach focused on ecology and sustainability. Saathi operate a cradle to cradle (completely sustainable) business model which also embodies circular economy.

In addition to their products, Saathi run a program of workshops to create awareness about menstrual hygiene and sustainable menstruation. The programme, which runs in five different cities in India, aims to provide a platform for open discussion on these topics which remain taboo.

As part of their workshop in St Andrews, Saathi will take the opportunity to tell their journey so far -- from the development of a successful start up to lessons learned and their aspirations for the future.