HealthFab's GoPadFree Revolutionizes Menstrual Hygiene, Saves 1,000 Tonnes of Plastic Waste

A personal struggle with menstrual hygiene experienced by a government school teacher in Assam inspired her brother, Kiriti Acharjee, to co-found HealthFab, a startup dedicated to innovative period solutions. Kiriti learned his sister often missed four to five days of work monthly due to periods, struggling with a lack of hygienic changing facilities and insufficient product longevity during her eight- to nine-hour school days.

Motivated by this, Kiriti, an engineer in Bengaluru, teamed up with friends Sourav Chakrabarty and Satyajit Chakraborty, who also witnessed similar challenges among women close to them, including issues with heavy flow, leaks, rashes, and frequent pad changes. Satyajit's sister, who has schizophrenia, faced additional difficulties, sometimes forgetting to change her pads, causing constant worry for her family. In January 2020, the trio pooled Rs 15 lakh to establish HealthFab in Bengaluru, focusing on developing a reusable, leak-proof period panty.

After 60 permutations and combinations, testing prototypes with friends and family, they launched GoPadFree on Amazon in January 2020. This innovative product is designed to be worn without traditional pads, tampons, or menstrual cups. Each panty absorbs up to 30 ml—five times more than a regular sanitary pad's 6 ml—and can be worn for up to 12 hours. GoPadFree is washable and reusable up to 50 times, effectively replacing hundreds of disposable pads over two years. Made from soft, breathable cotton, it is BIS-certified and free from PFAS and over 250 other harmful substances, with a basic variant starting at Rs 549.

By September 2020, positive customer feedback highlighted fewer rashes and leak-free heavy flow days, with some users describing the product as life-changing. HealthFab later gained significant attention, appearing on Shark Tank India Season 4 in February 2025, where it received Rs 2 crore in offers, though the deal ultimately fell through. The company subsequently raised Rs 5 crore in funding. HealthFab has now reached over four lakh customers, with more than six lakh women having used GoPadFree, available through its website and platforms like Flipkart and Blinkit.

The environmental impact is substantial: a single disposable pad creates 2–3 grams of plastic waste and takes 600–700 years to decompose. HealthFab estimates that GoPadFree has prevented at least 1,000 tonnes of plastic sanitary waste from entering landfills, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional menstrual products.

Why it matters: This innovation offers a sustainable and empowering solution for menstrual health while significantly reducing environmental impact.

Editor's note: The draft effectively synthesizes the full text, covering the origin story, technical specifications, business milestones, and environmental impact accurately.