Innovation

Sinaya Cup promotes zero-waste menstruation and encourages the life-changing switch from sanitary napkins and tampons to menstrual cups. Menstrual cups are menstrual hygiene devices made from medical-grade silicone to capture menstrual fluid by inserting the product into the body, similar to tampons. Once correctly placed inside the body, an individual can wear it for up to 12 hours before having to rewash the tool. Moreover, this allows women to participate in their daily activities, even in rigorous sports, without experiencing any discomfort. In comparison to other feminine hygiene products, it is a washable, reusable, convenient, and eco-friendly menstrual flow protection tool as it can be used for up to two years worth of menstrual cycles; with that said, using such diverts a great number of plastic napkin wastes from landfills and bodies of water. Hence, the company is named "Sinaya" – a term coined from "Aman Sinaya," which is the deity of the ocean in Philippine Mythology.

What makes Sinaya Cup so different is its commitment to corporate social responsibility through the eco-friendly menstrual flow protection tool and its devotion to utilizing its platform and allowing women to maximize their potential and Flow Forward. The company's official slogan, "Flow Forward," emphasizes that although the current of life may be smooth or rapid, what is essential is that we continue to move forward. In line with this, the company's founder, Audrey Tangonan, said: "In terms of offering products, we try our best – we don't claim that we're perfectly zero-waste, you know? There's still some plastic [involved in our product packaging], but it's all about reduction [of plastic waste]." As such, Sinaya recognizes its responsibility to be a force for positive change by raising awareness not only of its products but also through experiential and sustainable learning, education, and lifestyles.

Sinaya Cup's menstrual cups can be used for up to two years, meaning it also takes two years for a consumer to purchase another product from the company – this imposes a financial challenge on them. Though they thought of selling disposable napkins and snacks to solve their financial issues, they never pushed through with it as they're more committed to staying true to their company values. Audrey said, "Even though [disposable napkins and period snacks] can be a part of our product line... The grand scheme of it is if we're selling things that actually accumulate a lot of plastic waste, then that kind of goes against our environmentalism value." Thus, Sinaya Cup works for a purpose bigger than itself, not simply to have one-time contact with its customers through points of purchase for profit but to create a sincere and lasting positive change in the lives of Filipino women by empowering them with lifelong learning opportunities.

Inspiration

Before starting Sinaya Cup, Audrey was already involved in different informal organizations and companies that aimed to solve society's environmental problems. She began with projects involving the development of reusable cups and straws (which were less common then), which eventually fuelled her desire to create a company within the social impact sphere. More than this, Audrey was extensively involved in her college's organization for diving, with frequent diving excursions and trips outside of Metro Manila and in her home province, Puerto Princesa. Being active in this hobby allowed her to observe the environment's current situation as she would often be at diving sites, beaches, and ports.

As the years passed, Audrey was exposed to many environmental problems that needed to be addressed as soon as possible. She states: "While we were diving, that's when you'd see the impact over the years. [...] I was active for only four years, but I could already immediately see the differences of the dive sites from when we first started and when we came back, even just 2 to 3 years after." Audrey shares that there was an evident difference in the health of the marine life and environment – "the corals were a lot more bleached and a lot less healthy." Audrey observes that from the years of being exposed to the natural beauties of the environment to its decline, we have now "come face to face with our human impact."

Audrey's experience of coming face to face with the declining state of our environment pushed her to start developing initiatives that could reduce plastic waste. Thus, with her desire to create a company within the social impact sphere came the birth of the Sinaya Cup. This reusable zero-waste menstrual cup reduces plastic napkin waste in the environment. Audrey shares that menstrual cups had great potential, even if not many were aware of the product and its benefits in 2015. She also shares that though the company has been established for seven years, there is still a long way to go for people's acceptance and awareness of this product. She shares that: "With the help of Sinaya Cup, it's been a lot more common knowledge [amongst people]. [It's] still not there yet, but it's a challenge that I saw was exciting and impactful". The journey of Sinaya Cup has since grown from the simple observation of our environment's state to an advocacy and environmentally-centered organization that not only aims to address environmental issues but raises awareness of women-centered advocacies and empowerment.

As the company develops through the years by popularizing menstrual cups among Filipinas, Sinaya Cup envisions coining the term "menstrual cup" to be as common of a term as "plastic bags." They are centered on their core values of Courage, Women Empowerment, Growth-Mindset, Environmental Consciousness, and fun to help achieve their goal of supporting and bringing awareness to a million Filipinas in 5 years. As a purpose-led company that aims to promote reproductive and menstrual health education and environmental action, Sinaya Cup has transformed into a pioneering organization that supports human and ecological flourishing for the good of all.

Overall impact

Through the resilience of Sinaya Cup over the years, the company has grown a fantastic community of over 13,000 empowered Filipina users who now have access to adequate, sanitary, and affordable menstrual products. Along with its efforts to alleviate "period poverty" across the country, Sinaya Cup has also been able to realize not only its vision of having women maximize their full potential but also its goal of contributing toward the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-Being (SDG #3), Quality Education (SDG #4), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG #12), and Climate Action (SDG #13).

First, Sinaya Cup's pioneering product, the menstrual cup, is a testament to the company's dedication to promoting better health and well-being for Filipino women of all generations. With the nature of the hygiene product, the company has provided much safer and more effective alternatives to minimize the risk of infections or diseases. Moreover, Ms. Audrey Tangonan also pointed out that she and her team would like to campaign for the use of menstrual cups as a form of skincare, specifically for the sensitive vulva area that women should take care of. Second, in line with the United Nations' goal of achieving quality education, the company also champions women's empowerment, body understanding, and sustainability by providing free experiential learning programs across the country. As Ms. Audrey Tangonan mentioned in the interview, "It is really hard for Filipinas to switch to menstrual cups without a good understanding of how their body works, without understanding the benefits, and without feeling comfortable about their bodies."

Moreso, Sinaya Cup actively promotes responsible consumption and production as the team continues to produce thoughtfully produced products and spread awareness of living in harmony with nature. Ms. Audrey Tangonan also voiced her attentiveness to avoiding the act of greenwashing; for her, it is highly significant for Sinaya Cup to live up to its environmental commitments, which have been displayed throughout the years. Specifically, she shared how the company has already sold over 13 thousand menstrual cups as of September 2022 and diverted an estimated 5 million pieces of napkins from going into landfills as of November 2022. In addition to this, with Sinaya Cup's 85% successful usage rate, the company also successfully takes action in combatting climate change and its impacts through this collective reduction of plastic waste.

Business benefit

In the Philippines, it is evident that there is a gap in understanding the benefits and proper usage of a menstrual cup. Moreover, Sinaya Cup also observed a gap in the country's reproductive and menstrual education, specifically in low-income communities. After considering these issues, Sinaya Cup provided an innovative solution and product that will benefit most women. Through Tangonan's leadership efforts, the Sinaya Cup team developed the first menstrual cup brand in the country that is eco-friendly, comfortable, and waterproof.

Despite operating with a team of five members, Sinaya Cup collaborates with local suppliers from Bicol and local designers from Rizal. With this, the menstrual cup brand integrates local production, manufacturing, and design in creating products. Audrey Tangonan, the founder of Sinaya Cup, shared, "our main pouch is made from abaca and is sourced from Bicol. Additionally, local artisans hand-paint the brand's labels, boxes, and packaging. Aside from this, the Rizal team customizes the design of their washable panty liners." The founder also claims that Sinaya Cup has set the standard for product messaging through size guide and validation. Given these collaborative efforts, Sinaya Cup operates and coordinates with local stakeholders.

In connection with the company values of Sinaya Cup, Tangonan stated that their "values of courage, women empowerment, growth mindset, environmental consciousness, and fun are all integrated into their marketing, products, systems, processes, and business decisions." Furthermore, she highlighted their values apply to their hiring process, where the team hires individuals who align with the company values and are environmentally conscious. Their core principle is to reduce plastic waste and contribute positively to the environment.

Social and environmental benefit

"We're not perfect – there are so many areas where we can improve, but we're currently implementing the lowest impact as we can that's also within our resources," said Audrey.

Sinaya Cup is aware of how its product innovation could bring about financial challenges. Selling medical-grade silicone menstrual cups that can be used for up to two years also means that consumers wouldn't buy the said product from the company for another two years. However, this challenge didn't cease them from staying true to its company value of environmental consciousness. Audrey explains that if Sinaya Cup opts to sell more products for financial benefits, it can only cause them to deviate from and eventually go against their company values. Hence, the company is dedicated to selling its eco-friendly menstrual cups and washable panty liners, which has already diverted almost 5 million disposable napkins and tampons from landfills and will continue to reduce the amount of unrecyclable menstrual products being used and thrown away to rot in the environment slowly.

Aside from being a sustainable company that prioritizes environmental benefits, they also work towards presenting societal benefits. In Sinaya Cup, they partner with organizations and government units with the same goals and purpose. Audrey shares that, "Just last year, [Sinaya Cup] had a partnership with a group [named] BGKA, who helped us distribute 300 menstrual cups in Batanes… so that's something that we've done instead of our classroom reproductive health sessions."

Additionally, Sinaya Cup carried out its most successful project, the CUPacity Caravan. This hands-on and experiential learning program is conducted in public high schools across the country, mainly focusing on developing the following topics for young women: Women Empowerment, Body Understanding and Acceptance, and Goal-driven Values.

Sinaya Cup has also been holding reproductive health programs to be proactive in educational classes that will ensure quality education and shape a better world for the next generations. Though these programs mentioned above had been halted during the pandemic's peak, Audrey said that "COVID restrictions are just starting to ease in [this 2022], so we are looking into governmental partnerships soon as early as 2023."

Furthermore, Sinaya Cup is also currently partnering and incubating with MakeSense Philippines, a platform for social impact companies to make the most out of their resources, enabling them to build an inclusive and sustainable society. Considering all of these societal and environmental benefits, Sinaya Cup, as of September 2022, had achieved the following goals: 1,206 Sinaya Cup Education Beneficiaries, 4,750,000 napkins diverted from landfills, and 13,000 reusable menstruation cups being sold.

Interview

Audrey Tangonan, Founder