Sparśa

What Sparśa does

Sparśa is a women-led Social Business initiative established in 2020 under the German non-profit NIDISI gGmbH (Berlin) and its Nepali counterpart NIDISI Nepal. It produces and distributes compostable menstrual pads made from banana fiber — an agricultural waste stream from banana farming — and runs a parallel Ambassador Program that delivers menstrual health awareness sessions in schools and community centers. The target beneficiaries are Nepali women and school girls, particularly in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts, with a stated plan to supply 3,200 women and girls annually and to create approximately 10 green jobs for disadvantaged women at the Bharatpur pad factory; banana fiber is extracted at a dedicated processing site in Tribeni.

The core product is a compostable menstrual pad whose absorbent core is built from banana fiber, with the fiber-processing procedure refined and validated by the LGP2 Lab of Grenoble INP-Pagora Institute. Sparśa is supported by a research partnership with the Prakash Lab at Stanford University to adapt the processing method to other natural fibers, positioning the initiative as a replicable blueprint for NGOs across the Global South rather than a single-product company. Production is anchored in the Bharatpur pad factory (opened 2024), which converts fiber into absorbent mattresses and seals them into finished pads.

The business model follows Muhammad Yunus Social Business principles: non-loss, non-dividend, with profits reinvested to finance the Ambassador Program. Distribution is direct from factory to consumers through community-based channels and trained ambassadors, with no disclosed retail or e-commerce pricing. The initiative has begun international replication via the Plant to Pad Hub, with operations started in Kenya in 2025 alongside partner Ziada Solutions. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the entity is non-capital-raising by design, with no external equity or venture funding indicated.

Name

Sparśa

Legal name

NIDISI gGmbH

Website

https://nidisi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sparśa is a women-led social business under NIDISI that produces compostable menstrual pads from banana fiber and runs an Ambassador Program for menstrual health education, serving Nepali women and school girls in Chitwan and Nawalparasi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Menstrual Hygiene Products

NAICS

Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (32562)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Menstrual Pads (Disposable) (CRABAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Feminine Hygiene Products (Pads, Tampons, Liners) (CRADALAG)

Keywords

• Compostable menstrual pads
• Banana fiber products
• Feminine hygiene products
• Sustainable menstrual care
• Natural fiber sanitary pads

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Menstrual Pad Sales: Sparśa generates revenue through the production and sale of compostable menstrual pads made from banana fibers. The Social Business model follows Muhammad Yunus principles: non-loss, non-dividend company where profits are reinvested into the business to finance the Sparśa Ambassador Program for menstrual awareness campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sparśa produces and sells compostable menstrual pads manufactured from banana fibers, a natural waste product from banana farming. The company operates a pad-making factory in Bharatpur and a banana fiber processing site in Tribeni, Nepal, and runs the Sparśa Ambassador Program—an awareness initiative that trains multipliers to deliver menstrual health education in schools and community centers.

Product overview

Sparśa is a women-led Social Business that produces and sells innovative, compostable menstrual pads made from banana fibers—a natural waste product. The product portfolio includes the core Sparśa menstrual pads as the main offering, supported by the Sparśa Ambassador Program for awareness campaigns, a banana fiber processing site in Tribeni for raw material production, and a pad-making factory in Bharatpur for final product manufacturing. The profits from pad sales finance the Ambassador Program, creating a self-sustaining social business model focused on women's empowerment and environmental sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sparśa Ambassador Program: Training of young multipliers who disseminate knowledge about menstrual health and break menstrual taboos in schools and communities. The program trains ambassadors who hold awareness sessions in schools and community centres in Chitwan and Nawalparasi.

Products and services

• Sparśa Menstrual Pads Compostable menstrual pads made from banana fibers, a natural waste product from banana farming. The product is manufactured in the Sparśa factory in Bharatpur using banana fiber processed at the Tribeni site, with the pad-making procedure refined and validated by the LGP2 Lab of Grenoble INP-Pagora Institute. Targeted at Nepali women and school girls facing limited access to menstrual products and high rates of menstrual stigma.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 22% reduction in school absenteeism for girls through improved menstrual product access
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LGP2 Lab, Grenoble INP-Pagora InstitutecoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated with LGP2 Lab to refine the banana fiber processing procedure and validate the absorbent power of banana fibers in Sparśa menstrual pads. This partnership provided scientific validation for the product's effectiveness.
• Prakash Lab, Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to adapt banana fiber processing methods for various fiber plants, enabling replication of the Sparśa model in diverse climates across the Global South.
• NIDISI NepalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSparśa was established by NIDISI as its women and community-led Social Business dedicated to producing sustainable menstrual pads and promoting menstrual awareness in Nepal.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Carmesi: India-based brand offering biodegradable sanitary pads and other period care products. Comparable to Sparśa as an emerging D2C brand in eco-friendly feminine hygiene serving South Asian consumers, though operating on a more commercial model.
• Ruby Cup: Social enterprise providing reusable menstrual cups, with a Buy One Give One model serving schoolgirls across Africa and South Asia. Comparable to Sparśa in mission and emerging-market distribution, though the product format (cups vs. pads) differs.
• Be Girl: US-headquartered social enterprise distributing menstrual products and puberty education kits to girls in developing countries. Comparable to Sparśa in combining product distribution with menstrual health education for adolescent girls in low-resource settings.
• Unipads: Manufacturer and distributor of reusable cloth sanitary pads serving markets in Asia and Africa. Comparable to Sparśa in offering eco-friendly menstrual products targeting women in emerging markets, though reusable rather than compostable in format.

Direct peers

• AFRIpads: Uganda-based social enterprise producing reusable and disposable menstrual pads for schoolgirls and women in sub-Saharan Africa. Directly comparable in mission, product, and emerging-market distribution approach, and a relevant peer for Sparśa's Kenya expansion.
• Saathi Pads: India-based social enterprise producing compostable sanitary pads from natural and agricultural waste fibers (banana, bamboo). Directly comparable to Sparśa in product format (compostable pads), target customer (women in South Asia), and use of plant-based fiber as the core raw material.
• Aakar Innovations: Indian social enterprise manufacturing low-cost compostable sanitary pads. Comparable to Sparśa as a direct competitor in compostable menstrual pads for South Asian markets, with similar dual focus on affordability and environmental sustainability.
• Eco Femme: India-based social enterprise producing washable cloth menstrual pads and running menstrual education programs. Comparable to Sparśa in combining eco-friendly menstrual products with community education and South Asian women-led social business model.

Broad incumbents

• Natracare: Established UK-based brand offering organic and plastic-free menstrual pads, liners, and tampons. Comparable as a broader incumbent in plastic-free menstrual hygiene, with a wider global retail footprint that competes for the same sustainability-minded consumer segment.

Others

• Ziada Solutions: Kenya-based partner of NIDISI/Sparśa under the Plant to Pad Hub, collaborating on natural-fiber menstrual product manufacturing. Listed as a strategic ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, but materially relevant as the operational anchor for Sparśa's Kenya expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NIDISI.gGmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparsapads
• Instagraminstagram.com/_nidisi_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sparśa