If you Google a list of the top 30
problems we face as a society today
amongst the issues that cause us great
angst will be ear phones becoming tangled
in your pocket, losing the TV remote, slow
WiFi anywhere, and too many ads on You
Tube. These are considered to be first
world problems, a slang term used to refer
to issues in First World nations that are
complained about only because of the
absence of more pressing concerns.
Roz Campbell the founder of Tsuno
doesn’t have time to concern herself with
such trivial so called problems she has a
far greater list of issues she wants to help
change.
Travelling throughout some of the
world’s most impoverished communities
Roz was appalled to learn that millions of
women and girls are unable to attend school
or work every month because they have
their period. As Roz says
“After learning stories about the
situations many women were facing each
month, the makeshift materials they were
using to manage their menstruation, the
impact it was having on girls and their
attendance at school, their health and
self esteem, I felt compelled to try to do
something to help, and this is why I decided
to start Tsuno, a social enterprise selling
disposable sanitary pads made from natural
bamboo fibre and certified organic cotton
tampons.“
Roz returned to Australia in 2014 where
she conducted market research and was
surprised to see there were no organic
options available and the products contained
and were wrapped in plastic. Whilst Roz
believes reusable products can be fabulous
she also accepts that these are not suited for
everyone, so she decided to create a brand
of disposable sanitary products that reduces
plastic, uses sustainable and organic farming
methods and gives back to help educate and
provide menstrual health support to girls
living in poverty. Tsuno donates a whopping
50% of profits to a charity called One Girl,
who provide vulnerable girls living in Sierra
Leone with education scholarships and
menstrual health support.
I asked Roz why the focus on education
for girls? “The empowerment of women
in the form of the education of girls in the
developing world holds among the greatest
hopes as a driver for the eradication of
extreme poverty by pulling close to a billion
10 Complete Health
people from extreme hunger, lack of health
care, gender inequality and vulnerability to
environmental fragility on to the first rung
of development, allowing for the greatest
means of social mobility. Educating girls is
also one of the most effective but overlooked
ways to mitigate against climate change.”
Clearly Roz was passionate about
helping these women and girls, but I wanted
to know more about this philanthropic
entrepreneur, so I pushed on with my
questions. “Why did you choose Bamboo for
your pads?”
“Our pads are unique to the Australian
market, in the beginning I sampled many
options from different manufacturers and
decided on this pad not only for the organic
and sustainable farming practices used to
grow bamboo, but for it’s other properties,
including the hollow fibre structure making
it ideal for drawing moisture away from the
skin/body, something which is wonderful
for a pad. It is also incredibly soft and
comfortable, it works efficiently and does
not feel stiff, rough or plasticky like many
other pads on the market.
We have replaced the polyethylene
commonly found in pads and wrappers
with a corn starch PLA, the bamboo
top sheet is biodegradable, and our last
challenge is to source a biodegradable super
absorbent material for the inner, so that the
pad continues to absorb and does its job
efficiently, whilst being 100% biodegradable.
I’m confident and determined we will find a
solution soon, with many promising material
scientists working on the challenge around
the world.”
It is not every day I meet someone so
young who has embarked on such a global
enterprise, so I asked Roz how she was able
to afford such an enterprise.
“In 2014, after finding the manufacturer,
I was ready to launch Tsuno, but I did it
a little differently. The minimum order
was a full shipping container which cost
approximately US $40 000. I was fresh out
of uni, with no savings and thought the
most sensible way forward would be to
run a crowd funding campaign to not only
raise the funds, but see if there was public
demand for this product at the same time.
Thankfully, the demand was there, about
1300 people pre-ordered pads and Tsuno
was born! “
Tsuno has expanded its range and I had
to ask Roz if it was it a natural progression to
include tampons in the Tsuno range?
“When deciding to add tampons to
our range after lots of customer demand, I
was faced with the three material choices
available- rayon, cotton or organic cotton.
It was a very clear decision from my end,
I believe using organic cotton is a non
negotiable. I think pesticides, fertilisers and
unhealthy farming practices don’t belong in
our products, or our bodies.
It wasn’t smooth sailing and massive
success in the first few years, I was learning
so much on the fly, funnily enough I didn’t
even know I would need a distributor if
I wanted to stock retailers back in the
beginning! But thankfully every year has
been better than the previous one, new
distributors and retailers have come on
board. I remember being so ecstatic when
Complete Health Products said yes, opening
up our market to Northern NSW and
Queensland after only being available in
Victoria until then. Tsuno is still here, about
to celebrate 5 years in business, and we
have just had a great year.
In 2018, thanks to our distributors,
retailers and customers, we were able to
donate enough money to our partner charity
One Girl, to send the equivalent of 50 girls to
school in Sierra Leone! That is one very large
class of girls whose lives will be changed
forever because of the opportunity given to
them by a little sanitary product company
in Australia, the retailers that sell it on our
behalf, and the customers who use Tsuno.”
When I was first introduced to Roz and
learnt about her quest to help get more
girls in school I knew CHP needed to be
involved. It is my hope that more retailers
will support the brand too. Together with
Roz we will be engaging in a social media
push to drive consumers into your stores to
buy Tsuno products, and a reminder that as
of January 2019 the Australian Government
has removed GST from sanitary goods.
By Kathryn Powell