Design student creates reusable pad and cleaning device for female refugees

Tong Van

Tong Van

To reduce period poverty for refugees, London-based product design student Cheuk Laam Wong has created Looop Can, a cleaning kit for washing reusable menstruation pads. 

Design student creates reusable pad and cleaning device for female refugees

Looop Can comprises three parts: the base, the wing and the pad itself. The kit was discreetly designed to mitigate the cultural embarrassment of drying pads in the public space. 

While the base part, made from recycled steel cans, is used for cleaning with 50ml water, the wing part, made from recycled PP, contains 70 grams of baking soda to help remove blood stains without using chemicals. 

The reusable pads consist of a contact layer made from Bamboo French Terry Fabric, an absorption layer made from Bamboo Fleecem and a leakproof layer. The pads are anti-odour, anti-bacterial and eco-friendly, which makes them less likely to cause skin allergies.

Looop Can is estimated to last five years, which covers the time most refugees would stay in a camp awaiting identity approval.

“To make better gender equality in water and sanitation access, I expect Looop can restore human dignity and reduce period stigma in water scarcity regions such as Jordan,” Wong said in her study. 

According to Wong, some 60 per cent of female refugees experience period poverty problems, preferring to spend funds on food or sacrifice pads for baby diapers. 

Tong Van

Tong Van

Tong Van is a graduate of Ho Chi Minh City Law School majoring in Legal English and has been a content writer and researcher specialising in the retail sector for several years. Her interests include fashion, travel, health & beauty and food.

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