Institut Teknologi Bandung

Falling Walls Lab is a pitching ideas competition that put emphasizes on the participant's ability to solve a problem. The competition was open to all university students, from bachelor to post-doctoral students.

The concept of environmentally friendly and biodegradable napkins implemented two important principles during its prototyping stage. First, the absorbent layer on the conventional napkin which is composed of cotton was replaced with a plant-based material to add an organic property.

Secondly, the plastic layer below the napkin was replaced with a bioplastic material so that it would not pollute the environment. Besides those two aspects, there are no significant changes between biodegradable napkins and conventional napkins in terms of their shape and usage.

Difa who is a member of the Student Wilderness Explorer Family (KMPA), is very concerned with the environmental sustainability issue. The data that she found shows that 95% of Indonesian women chose to use napkins during their menstruation period, thus creating around 26 tons of waste each day. Her concerns and worries on this issue motivated her to create a women's napkin that can be naturally degraded in a relatively short time.

"That concept came from my own concern, that we actually creating that much napkin waste. Especially when I found an infographic that stated that one napkin is equivalent to four plastic bags. On one hand, I have tried to reduce my plastic bag waste, however on the other hand there is still waste from a different source. Especially for it (napkin waste) to degrade requires hundred of years, and during that time it will also accumulate," said Difa.

After conducting several research, Difa found the best solution to reduce napkin waste is by inventing a plant-based napkin. During his brainstorming process, Difa was assisted by a Research and Development (RnD) team which consists of students from different study programs. The students are:
1. Elshanti Nabiihah Salma (19219060)
2. Wanda Ayu Puspita Ningratri (10519022)
3. Fathya Alya Nurverina (10519062)

Difa said that, when looking for a material for the absorbent layer, the solution that they found is to use a plant-based material that provides their product with an organic value and is considered safer for health.

As the winner of the Falling Walls Lab Indonesia, Difa gained the opportunity to represent Indonesia in the Global Final Falling Walls Lab which will be held in Germany on 7-9 November this year. There she would present her pitching in front of professional juries from various fields to compete with representatives from other countries.

Reporter: Hanifa Juliana (District and City Planning, 2020)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)