Organic Initiative | Oi

Values

About

Oi is a New Zealand company led by a team of passionate women from all sorts of backgrounds, working together to make real positive change.

Their Chief Medical Officer – Dr Emma Ellis – is one of New Zealand’s most trusted gynaecologists and plays an instrumental role in guiding the Oi team as they research, advocate, and educate people on sustainable period care.

“We see a world where products can be made without relying on environmental pollutants, without exploiting vulnerable workers, and without exposing users to potentially harmful substances.”

Oi products are made in Europe, China, Israel and New Zealand with stringent safety regulations and fair labour laws and working conditions to meet International Labour Organization standards. This includes Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Organic Content Standard (OCS) and BioGro (NZ’s organic certification). These certifications include rigorous auditing of farm and processing facilities, detailed record keeping and regular testing of soil and water.

Certification to the GOTS requires a direct measure against 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, covering environmental, technical quality, human toxicity and social standards that include safe, fair, non-exploitative working conditions and fair wages.

Oi’s tampons are 100% organic cotton and their pads and liners are made with a minimum 70% organic cotton. Organic cotton uses up to 90% less water than non-organic cotton to grow and doesn’t use any pesticides – so there is no leaching of chemicals into the waterways which can have harmful impacts on the ecosystem around cotton fields.

Most single use period products (pads, tampons & liners) are made with plastic which can take between 500 to 800 years to break down in landfills. The Oi range is biodegradable and under the right conditions will bio-degrade within 5 years.

Beneath the certified organic cotton topsheet, their bladder care pads and liners use an innovative bio-SAP, a plant-based super absorbent polymer. Their high performance bio-SAP contains no petrochemicals for a smaller carbon footprint.

Oi also supports Dignity NZ, a social enterprise providing products to New Zealand menstruators who are unable to afford the cost of period products. Through a ‘buy one, give one’ initiative, Oi helps Dignity give free period products to those who need them but lack access. Dignity provides Oi products into workplaces for their employees. For every pack these companies buy, another pack is donated directly back into the community through schools and other charity partners.

You can purchase Oi products directly from their website or find them in various pharmacies and supermarkets around NZ including Countdown, Supie, New World and more.