Period care has a plastic problem. Many of the 45 billion menstrual healthcare items used every year contain up to 90% plastic — much of it single-use — and mainstream period products remain the 5th most common waste items found on beaches. The average product can take up to 500 years to biodegrade.
To support elimination of single-use plastic in the menstrual health market, the OnePlanetCapital Environmental EIS Fund is targeting an investment in &SISTERS, an eco-friendly period care company.
As the UK’s largest plastic-free period care brand, &SISTERS offers products spanning 100% organic cotton pads, liners and tampons to reusable period cups and pants. The brand has expanded to over 200 leading retailers across more than 25 countries. It offers a suite of innovative new products, including organic cotton reusable nüdie period pants, plus, more recently, the first ever plant-based intimate stain remover spray, designed to save mountains of underwear from ending up in landfill and remove the stigma often associated with menstrual blood.
Founded by a mother-daughter duo on a mission to create a global menstrual health brand with a conscience, &SISTERS is also the highest-ranking B Corp certified period-care brand worldwide and a member of the 1% for the Planet network, donating 1% of annual sales to environmental causes. .
In the long run, mass adoption of the &SISTERS model could help bring about a drastic reduction in plastic waste. One cup alone will save an estimated 2,000 single-use products from entering landfill during its 10-year lifespan. Since launching the nüdie period cup, &SISTERS has kept over 30 million period products out of the waste system.
The OnePlanetCapital EIS Fund investment into &SISTERS will support a substantial business expansion and complement existing holdings in the portfolio. The business is raising a total of £900,000 with a £4.5M business valuation. Additional investors include Raising Partners Angel Syndicate alongside a heavily oversubscribed crowdfunding campaign, overfunded by 180%.
Operating in a $20bn market growing at a rate of 5% per annum, the FemCare sector continues to evolve with more sustainable and digital solutions. The funding for &SISTERS will accelerate the launch of many more unique and retail-ready innovations, as well as the development of SISTERLY™️ — a digital menstrual health ecosystem designed to support women with connection, content and commerce solutions throughout all stages of life.
Commenting on the investment, Matthew Jellicoe, Co-Founder of OnePlanetCapital, said:
“The market is at the starting point of major disruptions, as women demand non-chemical products that can be reused or that are zero waste. We couldn’t be prouder to support &SISTERS in expanding their business, leading to a significant reduction of single-use plastic. We only have one planet and it’s vital to make a difference for our collective future.”
Speaking about being backed by a venture capital (VC) fund, Lucy Lettice, Co-Founder of &SISTERS, commented:
“Central to our mission is the belief that we have two homes: our bodies and our planet. When it comes to menstrual health, it’s time to create solutions that help women take care of both. As a sustainable investment house, OnePlanetCapital is a natural partner to help us achieve our sustainable business goals. The funding will go a long way in helping our expansion globally.”
Venture capital and the green economy
Placing ESG impact frameworks at the core of its business strategy, OnePlanetCapital is an early stage VC EIS fund for the emerging green economy. It was founded in 2019 by entrepreneurs Matthew Jellicoe and Ed Stevens, together with Tony Flanagan of Wilton Group – a leading international regulated financial services advisory firm.
The OnePlanetCapital EIS team has a strong track record in investing across both Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) companies and Series A and Series C raises in sectors such as green tech and broader technology. The fund manager for the OnePlanetCapital Environmental EIS Fund is KIN Capital.
Further Reading:
- More on the OnePlanetCapital and the early stage EIS fund;
- More about the &SISTERS menstrual healthcare brand;
- More from City to Sea about the 10 most polluting single-use plastic items found on our beaches;
- More from Friends of the Earth on menstrual products and plastic pollution;
- More about the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), from H M Revenue & Customs;
- Also on SustMeme, Fashion waste landfill piled high as the moon;
- Also on SustMeme, Pollution on rise as only 9% plastic waste recycled;
- Also on SustMeme, Packaging Tax: ‘Future of Plastics’ in The Times;
- Also on SustMeme, Divestment: Are meat and plastic the new coal?
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