Viv Wrapped 2023: Impact Report

In 2023, viv products saved...

53 million gallons of water

That could fill 80 Olympic swimming pools!

285,000 pounds of CO2

That's the same emissions as flying from NYC to LA 265 times (in economy)

63,100 pounds of plastic

That's the equivalent of 5.72 million plastic bags!

We donated 43,100 period products

including pads, tampons, and menstrual cups

Let's talk about how we calculated these numbers. Each of our products has a different sustainable impact, and we work closely with our manufacturers to get accurate emissions and impact data.

Water Saved

Viv Pads and Liners are bamboo-based. These raw materials use 25% as much water to grow and produce than traditional cotton. Viv Tampons contain only 100% organic cotton. Organic cotton uses about 15% as much water as traditional cotton. It takes about 10,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton (read more about that here), so we calculated the amount of water saved by comparing viv products to traditional products.

Carbon Dioxide Saved

A Harvard research study found that using traditional tampons or pads for a year leaves a carbon footprint of 5.3 kg of CO2. Viv Pads and Liners reduce carbon emissions by 60% (a statistic specific to our manufacturing process). Our Organic Cotton Tampons use 46% less CO2 to produce than traditional cotton tampons. Using the number of Viv tampons, pads, and liners that were used this year, we calculated how much CO2 was saved.

Plastic Saved

Did you know that one traditional menstrual pad is made of up to 90% plastic & contains the same amount of plastic as 4 plastic bags?! Viv pads are 100% plastic-free and biodegradable, and even the wrapper is a compostable cornstarch material. By using Viv pads and liners, your plastic waste is zero! Viv tampons have a plastic applicator, so at this time, we did not include any plastic saved for our tampons. That's a goal to improve in the future!!

The Viv Cup

If you received a Viv wrapped email and your numbers are looking crazy low... it might be because you've been using the Viv Cup since last year (or the year before)! Our calculations for the Viv Cup are estimated based on the number of cups purchased in 2023, and based on one year of use. The Viv Cup can be reused for up to 10 years, so including everyone who's used the Viv Cup over the last three years (that's how long it's been in our product line), our impact numbers (and your personal impact numbers) would be much higher!! Our goal was to create an estimate that's as accurate as possible just for this year, without inflating any numbers. We're always improving the way we calculate impact to stay as true as possible. Stay tuned for updates to our rewards program where you'll be able to track your accurate impact while using the Viv Cup every month👀

Donations

Menstrual Equity is a core value of our business, and we prioritize donations as part of our mission. The donations made in 2023 are a combination of your contributions during giving campaigns throughout the year, and our partnerships with various organizations like Fihri and MassNOW. Viv products are donated directly to shelters, schools, prisons, disaster relief, and menstruators in need across the US and 5+ countries around the world.