Cups can be sterilized in boiling water, microwaves, or, when traveling, with sterilizing tablets. must be washed between uses and be sterilized at the end of the period. A user will likely need between 4 and 32 cups in a lifetime, depending on the type used. may last for 2-4 years some may last up to 10 years. It is inserted into the vagina to collect (not absorb) menstrual fluid. is a bell-shaped and made of medical-grade silicone or natural latex. Although originally patented in 1867 (US 70843 A) and again in 19, menstrual cups have only recently become popular. The gendered innovation here is the menstrual cup. Menstrual Cups are Good for Sustaining School Attendance in Developing Countries, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals #1 No Poverty Menstrual Cups are Good for Menstruators' Health, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals #3 Good Health & Well-Being Menstrual Cups are Good for Gender Equity, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals #5 Gender Equality

Menstrual Cups are Good for the Environment, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals #6 Clean Water and Sanitation Manufacturers should provide assessment results on product labels, enabling consumers to consider environment costs in their decision making.

Environmental sciences should develop comparative life-cycle assessments for each type of menstrual product. Life-cycle assessments analyze the environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle from growing, extracting, and processing raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, and recycling or final disposal. Method: Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment Can the menstrual cup help solve both problems? Can a change in menstrual hygiene sanitation help achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development goals #5 'gender equality' and #6 'clean water and sanitation' by the year 2030? Can we promote two social goods: both gender equality and environmental sustainability? At the same time, 49.8 billion tampons and sanitary pads plus their packaging end up in landfills or sewer systems each year in the U.S., meaning that the economic and environmental cost of these products is high. Menstrual products, such as tampons and pads, cost consumers US$26 billion globally in 2019 (Imarc, 2020).

Travel mug life cycle analysis