Menstruation without taboos.Interview with Vincenzo Mansi, co-founder of This Unique

Vincenzo Mansi talks about This Unique, the startup that normalizes the menstrual cycle through training activities and products that respect the body and the environment.

While the Italian government takes a step back from the tampon tax, bringing the VAT on menstrual products back to 10 percent after lowering it to 5 percent in 2023, many associations, companies and movements continue to fight against gender tax discrimination and persistent menstrual stigma.Among these, too This Unique, an innovative startup that aims to normalize the menstrual cycle through a series of services and awareness-raising actions and a range of products that respect the body and the environment.Born in 2021, today it increasingly aims to promote a real menstrual revolution and to become a point of reference in the female empowerment sector, expanding its offering to 360 degrees.To reveal it to us is Vincenzo Mansi, one of the founders, who we asked to tell us more about what This Unique is and what its mission is.

Word to Vincenzo Mansi, founder of This Unique

According to a recent investigation conducted by the Adolescence Laboratory, the Iard research institute and the Italian Society of Childhood and Adolescent Gynecology, still today 61 percent of girls experience menstruation with embarrassment and discomfort.And things don't seem to get much better in adulthood.This Unique was created with the triple objective of improving the lives of people with menstrual flow, breaking down the taboos surrounding this topic and challenging the negative attitudes that still persist today.There startups, founded by Alice Carbonara (Coo), Ludovico Grassi (Cmo), Lisa Iannello (Cpo) e Vincenzo Mansi (CEO), aims to accompany women during the menstrual cycle and bridge the gender gap with more conscious and environmentally friendly consumption.In fact, it offers subscription services for the purchase of menstrual products 100 percent organic cotton, non-irritating, compostable and sustainable.An estimated pack of standard supermarket pads contains the equivalent of five plastic bags and disposable plastic menstrual products generate 200,000 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste globally every year.A environmental impact which This Unique aims to minimize as much as possible.

Let's start from the origins.How was This Unique born?
It all happened quite quickly, between the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.I and those who would become my partners in this adventure wanted to create something that would have a positive impact on people's lives.This Unique was born from the desire to improve an experience, that of menstruation, still relegated to the background, on the one hand because it is considered an untouchable theme and on the other because it is associated with an event experienced as negative.As we began to delve deeper into the issue, we realized that, in addition to stigma, there were three other major problems associated with the menstrual cycle.The first was the environmental impact of traditional sanitary pads.The second concerned female health and was linked to the fact that many women have symptoms that can be improved with the use of menstrual approaches and products that are more respectful of the body.Finally we realized that, although the sanitary napkin is a necessary item, it is not yet considered a primary good.

What was the next step?
We turned to a partner and within six months we developed eco-friendly sanitary pads.If normal sanitary pads take around 500 years to degrade, the This Unique ones degrade in six months without releasing microplastics because they are plastic free (they are thrown into the organic waste).In addition, they prevent problems such as irritation and genital burning because they are made of 100 percent certified organic cotton, they are breathable and hypoallergenic and do not contain harmful substances.By analyzing successful cases of other startups and considering the fact that 50 percent of people buy sanitary pads in an emergency, we decided to base our business model on the subscription formula, considering it particularly suitable for the recurring purchase of a product necessary.Users who access our site can compose their own personalized box and synchronize it with their menstrual cycle, choosing the frequency with which to receive it at home.The service is very flexible and adaptable to your needs.

 

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A post shared by This, Unique ― period care (@this__unique)

How are you moving to try to solve the third problem and ensure that sanitary pads are finally perceived as a primary good?
We have worked a lot (and are continuing to do so) on the communication front because we think that talking about menstruation is the first fundamental step to remove that veil of reticence and unsaid things that makes this topic so inviolable and unapproachable despite it being a physiological and normal phenomenon. .We decided to use our community (we are very active on our social networks and in our magazine Periodic) and our voice to increase awareness and promote a new idea of ​​body care, and of experiencing the menstrual cycle, more freely, less censored, more attentive to people and the environment.The choice of name also follows in this direction.Sanitary pads have always been considered a standardized product, the same for everyone, while This Unique is a personalized solution, designed to meet the needs of every woman and to respect the diversity of every body and every flow, also making the experience positive. menstrual.

Do you also address companies?
From 2023 we are doing everything we can to enter companies and all public places, with the aim of shifting the burden of purchasing menstrual products from women to institutions.Why should tampons not be considered the same as toilet paper?According to the movement Free the tampons, 86 percent of women menstruated at work without having the necessary products with them.We don't want this to happen again.This is why we have created a personalized service to allow companies, institutions, gyms, clubs and universities to provide employees and students with our compostable and eco-sustainable sanitary pads free of charge.Moreover, it is proven that access to primary goods such as menstrual products improves health, well-being, productivity and inclusiveness in the workplace.

 

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A post shared by This, Unique ― period care (@this__unique)

What are the advantages for a company that chooses This Unique?
Choosing This Unique means offering people with menstruation sanitary pads made in Italy with certified raw materials, with low environmental impact and free of toxic substances.But it also means having a whole series of ancillary services available.With our team, we study a tailor-made solution for each customer, guiding them in the best choice for their business in terms of dispensers (customisable), products and quantities, and ensuring widespread and fast shipping.Another added value is the educational, communicative and value-based approach with which we support the companies that choose to rely on us.We organize meetings with experts, webinars, workshops, events to help normalize menstruation and to promote awareness, education, training and prevention on menstrual health issues.Furthermore, we provide materials to communicate the impact of the initiative internally and externally.Finally, we create reports reporting company performance relating to impact environmental, social and governance which can be used in sustainability reports and for the processes of obtaining certification for gender equality.

Can you tell us what goals you are focusing on now?
The first step concerns the expansion of the range.Over time, we have already introduced other accessory products related to period care and today, in addition to three different types of sanitary pads, we also offer teas and herbal teas, an intimate cleanser and a relaxing oil.Now we aim to further expand the offer, with the aim of accompanying women not only during the menstrual phase, but throughout all 28 days of the cycle.On the B2B front, we want to implement training and awareness activities and create a direct bridge between users and specialists.Through artificial intelligence we are working on the development of an extremely personalized service which, starting from the analysis of the individual employee's data, is able to identify the most suitable professional for his specific case.Future objectives also include the implementation of the reporting activity and the development of a platform that allows the company to manage it directly.Finally, we aim for an ambitious goal:leave national borders and export our products to Europe.