Period drama: Here We Flo pulls ‘plastic-free’ pledge amid row over green claims

Sustainable period care brand says report from rival Mooncup is flawed and contains inaccuracies

The sustainable period care brand Here We Flo, which launched in 2017 selling “plant powered” pads and liners that are “100% free of nasties”, is removing the terms “plastic-free” and “no synthetic fibres” from its packets.

The company said it had been working on a “packaging refresh” for the past year.

It denied that it had made the changes because “the sustainable material claims are misleading”, but admitted it would no longer be using terms such as “biodegradable”, “no synthetic fibres, “plastic-free”, “eco-friendly” and “planet-friendly” on its period products.

The changes come amid an angry spat between Here We Flo and a rival brand, Mooncup, which has complained to regulators about Here We Flo’s green claims.

Mooncup cited a report by scientists at a leading university that allegedly found Here We Flo’s pads and liners contained a combination of synthetic and semi-synthetic materials.

In the legal letter sent by &Sisters, the parent company of Mooncup, to Here We Flo, and seen by the Guardian, it is alleged the company was falsely using terms such as “natural”, “biodegradable” and “plastic-free” in its advertising and on packaging.

The allegations are based on findings from a 100-page lab report that it shared with Here We Flo and included in complaints sent to the Competition and Markets Authority and Advertising Standards Authority.

Here We Flo denied that its practices consisted of unfair and misrepresentative advertising and labelling. It said the Mooncup report was “fundamentally flawed and lacks rudimentary detail”. It added that it contained “inaccuracies” and would have no standing legally.

British women spend approaching £300m a year on period products, and the market is dominated by big brands such as Tampax and Always and supermarket own-labels.

However demand for “green” alternatives to pads and liners that typically contain plastic is growing due to campaigns highlighting the pollution they cause. With 3bn disposable products used every year, an estimated 200,000 tonnes of menstrual waste ends up in UK landfill sites.

Sustainable period products make up a small but growing part of the market, with total sales of about £6m. Here We Flo is the market leader, selling in major retailers including Boots and Tesco. Mooncup is best known for its reusable silicone menstrual cup.

The report was commissioned by Mooncup as a benchmarking exercise. It claims that tests on Here We Flo pads found the non-biodegradable plastics sodium polyacrylate and polyethylene alongside bamboo viscose, a semi-synthetic material obtained through the chemical processing of raw bamboo.

Here We Flo was co-founded by Tara Chandra and Susan Allen, friends who met while studying at the London School of Economics.

The challenger brand describes itself as “proudly women-of-colour owned and sustainably built”. It has won over young women by talking frankly about periods and sex. Two years ago it secured B Corp status, a fair trade style label for companies.

In a 12-page response to the Mooncup allegations, Here We Flo’s lawyers described it as a calculated attempt to “destroy” its market leadership. While it is enjoying stellar sales growth, it said its smaller rival was a “male-run, declining business”.

The “optics of such a male attack on a female-owned company in relation to feminine hygiene” would not go unnoticed, it added.

In turn Here We Flo alleged that Mooncup was misleading consumers with some of its green claims, such as the length of time its pads take to biodegrade, and should be investigated. Mooncup says that its biodegradability claims are verified by the leading standards and certification bodies.