India's First Flushable Pad Launches After 8-Year Quest

For eight years, Mithun Shah has been working to solve a problem that affects millions of women every day: what to do with used sanitary pads.

Shah left his senior corporate job in the United States and moved to Bengaluru with a single mission. He wanted to create India's first truly flushable sanitary pad.

The journey wasn't easy. Anabio Tech went through thousands of product iterations before finding the right combination of plant-based biodegradable materials that could safely break down in water systems. A lab fire nearly ended the project entirely, but Shah and his team rebuilt and pushed forward.

The real challenge was engineering every single layer of the pad from scratch. Traditional pads use synthetic materials that can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills. Anabio's version needed to be strong enough to work effectively but biodegradable enough to dissolve safely after flushing.

The startup tested their product across hundreds of different toilet configurations and in over 500 pin codes throughout India. They filed two patents to protect their innovations and spent years ensuring the product would work in real-world conditions, not just laboratory settings.

Why This Inspires

The menstrual hygiene industry has focused heavily on comfort and accessibility, which are important. But Anabio Tech tackled something different: the environmental and social challenge of disposal. In many parts of India and around the world, women struggle with safely and discreetly disposing of menstrual products.

Consumer research revealed strong demand for this solution. Studies involving over 2,000 users found that 81% were willing to switch to a flushable alternative, showing that women have been waiting for exactly this kind of innovation.

Shah's decision to leave a comfortable corporate career to spend nearly a decade on this challenge shows the kind of dedication that drives real change. His work represents a shift in how we think about menstrual hygiene products, moving beyond just performance to consider the complete lifecycle of these essential items.

The innovation could reduce the massive amount of menstrual waste that currently ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed of, creating both environmental and public health challenges.

As Anabio Tech prepares to launch commercially, they're offering women a choice they've never had before: convenience without environmental compromise.