Asan is a social enterprise with a mission to eradicate period poverty and tampon waste. In 2021, Asan launched an innovative reusable menstrual cup that was named the UK's \#1 menstrual cup by the Evening Standard. Utilising the Unlocking Potential Award, Asan will develop a mobile application in the period health space called the Asan Period App.
The Asan Period App will consist of three innovative features: menstrual cup education, environmental footprint tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking.
**Menstrual cup education**
As menstrual cups function differently from pads and tampons, switching to a cup involves a learning curve. Most menstrual cup manufacturers offer a physical user guide or booklet, but there is no mobile app that offers digital education and training about how to use a cup. The Asan Period App will offer interactive content that makes switching to a cup both easy and enjoyable for users of all ages.
**Environmental footprint tracking**
The Asan Period App will contain the world's first tool that enables users to calculate the carbon emissions associated with their periods. While similar tools exist for other consumer products (for example, reusable versus disposable water bottles), there is currently no tracker that calculates the environmental impact of period products. Using this feature, users can calculate the landfill waste that they avert, as well as the money they save every menstrual cycle by using a menstrual cup.
**Period tracking**
While other period tracking apps exist, there is currently no tracker available that utilises information gained from period product use (e.g. how often someone empties a menstrual cup). By feeding the app information about their individual menstrual cup use, users can gained customised alerts and recommendations regarding their period health (e.g. alerts when periods are unusually heavy or irregular). Users can choose to receive notifications to remind them when their next period is due, as well as how often they will need to empty their menstrual cup.
The Unlocking Potential Award will enable Asan to design, build, test and launch the Asan Period App in the UK market. Asan will utilise the app to improve menstrual health education across the UK, as well as to increase the adoption of reusable menstrual cups. The company's vision is to acquire 500,000 menstrual cup users in the next five years and to avert more than 1 billion disposable pads and tampons from going to landfill.