SHION SUDO / limerime
須藤紫音 / limerime・VVV
Designing products and the demonstration
Responsible materials, product knowledge and a framework for turning field experience into verifiable data.
/
limerime / TANZANIA DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
Beyond ‘send and forget.’ Toward responsible aid and manufacturing.
01FIELD NOTE
57 supporters01 local partner / 一般社団法人LUNA
01 / WHY limerime
Make kindness responsible all the way to where it lands.
limerime is a sustainable sanitary brand primarily using materials considered biodegradable, including plant-derived top sheets, wood-pulp absorbents and corn-derived Bio film. The sanitary pads use organic bamboo-derived materials in their top sheets. We are also exploring disaster-stock use through municipal support schemes and workplace adoption with regional financial partners.
PLANT-BASED
CARE / limerime
CARE / limerime
WHAT WE MAKElimerime 01
植物由来 / plant-derived
木パルプ / wood pulp
Bio film / corn-derived
02 / THE HIDDEN COST
The hidden cost of good intentions
People in developing countries need access to menstrual products when they need them. Support that improves this access is essential.
Yet the World Bank's 2018 report found that around 70% of the world's municipal solid waste was landfilled or openly dumped.
Conventional disposable menstrual products contain petroleum-based plastics. Where treatment facilities are limited, where do the products we deliver go after use? Have we considered whether burying or openly burning them could create a new burden for local people and the environment?
limerime's demonstration does not end with delivery. With our local partner, General Incorporated Association LUNA, we will examine comfort in use, disposal and treatment, and test whether plant-based materials work in the field without creating new burdens.
The 70% figure concerns global municipal solid waste, not menstrual products or measured waste disposal in Tanzania.
Source: World Bank, What a Waste 2.0 (2018)
Aid should never become another burden.
PLASTIC / OCEAN / FUTURE
03 / GLOBAL CONTEXT
See the challenge through global data.
Every month, 1.8 billion people menstruate. An estimated 12 billion disposable menstrual products are used worldwide each year, contributing around 245,000 tonnes of CO₂.
18億people menstruate each month
120億products used worldwide each year (approx. 245,000 tonnes of CO₂ from production and use)
500〜800年estimated time for conventional disposable pads to break down in landfills
* 公開報告に基づく概算。製品の種類や廃棄環境により異なり、タンザニアでの実測値ではありません。
出典：UNICEF「Menstrual hygiene」／WHO Bulletin, Aujla et al. "Environmental impact of menstrual hygiene products" (BLT.24.291421, 2025)
04 / FIELD WORK
Four questions the field must answer
This is not a claim of having solved the problem. It is a promise to investigate — carefully, openly and with the people involved.
01
Will it be used?
使われるか
02
Does it fit the culture?
文化に合うか
03
Does it biodegrade?
分解されるか
04
Does it avoid pollution?
汚染しないか
05 / THE TEAM
A demonstration built with many hands.
Local partner General Incorporated Association LUNA and the limerime team will work together in the field.
01現地調査 / Field research
02試用・回収 / Use & collection
03データ分析 / Data analysis
04レポート公開 / Open report
06 / limerime × MOANA KIKUCHI
Product knowledge meets knowledge of place.
A responsible demonstration cannot be designed from Japan alone. limerime and Moana Kikuchi of local partner General Incorporated Association LUNA bring together product design and relationships rooted in the community.
SHION SUDO / limerime
CO-CREATE
MOANA KIKUCHI / 一般社団法人LUNA
07 / ALSO IN JAPAN
This is not only an overseas issue.
As climate risks rise in Japan, menstrual products in evacuation shelters and the burden of stock disposal remain structural challenges. Biodegradable products can open a new path for BCP and disaster preparedness.
View plans for companies and municipalitiesSUPPORT
Choose how to support
Support as an individual or partner with us as an organisation.
MHM & SUPPORT
Menstrual hygiene management (MHM), and what happens after use.
MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) is a WASH-origin term for the practical conditions of menstruation: clean materials, privacy when changing, washing with soap and water, and the handling of used materials.
Period poverty involves barriers to menstrual supplies, information and appropriate places to change and dispose of them. We look beyond delivery to examine how products are used and handled after use in the local setting.
SUPPORT PATHS
Choose the starting point that fits
Collaborate as an organisation or foundation
For groups and foundations working on international support, period poverty or MHM, we discuss your interests and role before designing a sponsorship approach together.
Discuss ongoing or major support as an individual
For a one-time or monthly contribution, use the regular support route. To discuss an ongoing or major contribution, please contact us by email.
FAQ
Short answers about MHM and support
What does MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) mean?
MHM considers the conditions for using clean menstrual materials, changing them in privacy when needed, using soap and water, and disposing of used materials. Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is the broader framing that also considers psychological, social and environmental context.
View partnership plansWhat will this project examine?
It asks four questions: whether the product is used, fits the culture, biodegrades and avoids pollution. These are questions for the demonstration to examine; they are not promised outcomes.
View the four partnership plansHow can an organisation, foundation or individual begin supporting?
With organisations and foundations, we first discuss areas of interest and how to participate, then decide the sponsorship details together. Individuals can choose regular support from this page, while ongoing or major support can begin by email. Contributions are not eligible for charitable tax deductions.
Discuss ongoing or major support08 / PARTNERSHIP
Partnership plans
From support to co-creation. Choose the depth that fits your organisation.
SUPPORT
About your support
Support funds for this project are received by VVV Inc. and used to cover the costs of the biodegradable sanitary pad demonstration in Tanzania (distribution, biodegradation testing and field research). They are managed separately from product sales, and we will report how they are used on this page. Please note that contributions are not eligible for tax deductions as charitable donations.
Amount
Monthly support amount¥500
Card details are entered securely on Stripe Checkout.
Support funds are received by VVV Inc. They are not eligible for a tax deduction. There are no returns or thank-you gifts. Refunds are generally not available after payment. Monthly support can be stopped at any time; no payment will be due from the month after it is stopped. If monthly support ends with the completion of the demonstration, we will notify you by email in advance.
Manage or cancel your monthly support
If you cannot complete the process through the link, please contact info@v-v-v.jp.
For payment enquiries: info@v-v-v.jp
09 / CO-CREATE
Ways to co-create
A partnership can begin with money, a workshop, an insight — or a question.
10 / PROJECT PARTNERS
57 supporters
12 / FOUNDER'S NOTE
使ったあとから、
ともに確かめる。
生理用品は、使い終わったあとのことを、ほとんど考えずにつくられてきました。limerimeは「使ったあと、どこへ行くのか」から製品を考え直したブランドです。タンザニアでは、使い終わった生理用品を処理する設備がない場所が多くあります。そこへ製品を送って終わりにするのではなく、現地の女性たちと一緒に、使い心地から土に残るものまでを確かめたい。その結果は、日本の避難所や防災備蓄にもそのまま役立ちます。まだ答えは持っていません。だからこそ、一緒に確かめてくださる企業の方と出会いたいと思っています。
株式会社VVV 代表 須藤紫音
13 / FAQ
Questions, before we begin.
Please contact us for details.
Please contact us for details.
2026年10〜11月に製品を現地へ送付、12月〜2027年2月に実証①（使い心地・捨て方）、2027年3月8日（国際女性デー）に中間報告と協賛企業の発表（予定）、3〜5月に実証②（文化・環境）、6月に実証結果レポートを公開する予定です。
Yes. You can stop monthly support at any time. Please see “I want to cancel or update my monthly support” below for the procedure. After cancellation, no charges will be made from the next month.
Stripe emails a payment receipt. These support funds are not eligible for charitable tax deductions.
Manage or cancel your monthly support
You can cancel your monthly support or update your card in the Stripe portal.
Enter the email address you used when you started your monthly support, and we'll email you a link to sign in.
You cannot change the support amount in the portal. To change the amount, cancel your current monthly support and sign up again with the new amount.
LET'S MAKE A RESPONSIBLE STANDARD
Let’s start with a conversation.
Every partnership looks different. CSR, communications, HR, disaster preparedness, R&D — begin with what matters to your organisation and design the demonstration together.
For individual support, please see the support information on this page.
Support information