SETTING STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE PERIODS The Mooncup menstrual cup was born of a desire to drastically reduce the waste produced by throwaway sanitary products. Created in 2002, we produce the world’s first medical grade silicone menstrual cup: putting an end to the waste, expense and discomfort of throwaway tampons and pads and setting the standard for sustainable period care. Su Hardy is the woman to thank for the invention of the Mooncup menstrual cup. She first came across a menstrual cup when she was travelling around Australia in 2000 with her husband, young daughter, a bucket and stash of washable nappies. On her return home to Brighton, Su started selling an imported rubber cup to friends and friends-of-friends and soon realised that she wasn’t the only one ready for a better period. When she discovered that some had a reaction to the latex in this rubber cup, she researched hypoallergenic alternatives. So, in the Spring of 2002, Mooncup® was born and manufacturing in the UK started. Su built up the company from her spare room, working around the clock with a few friends to build Mooncup Ltd to what it is today: a multi-award-winning, ethical, international business. Mooncup Ltd became employee-owned in 2014 when Su was planning her retirement. It made perfect sense that a company manufacturing a sustainable product should adopt a more sustainable business model too. BUSTING THE PERIOD TABOO Reusable period products were seriously niche when we first started. There was no category for sustainable period products on supermarket period aisles. To bring reusable period products to the mainstream, we needed to bust some taboos. Our ground-breaking advertising campaigns on the London Underground, guerrilla stickering of toilets around the country and powerful word of mouth campaigns made the ‘Mooncup’ a household name (at least among menstruating folk) and paved the way for reusable period products around the world. Thankfully, the Mooncup menstrual cup is no longer a secret, with millions of us freed from using tampons and pads. From the beginning, it’s been the real Mooncup users who have helped us to smash the menstrual cup taboo. From early day whispers to Whatsapp groups with sisters, the Mooncup secret has spread like wildfire! We are using the power of our brand and business for good. While we know that the Mooncup can’t change the world, we hope and believe that by helping people around us see our everyday choices differently, we can create change. Here are some of the key moments in the business’s story…