Natracare stands for more than just organic and natural products. We are an award winning, ethical company committed to offering organic and natural solutions for personal health care that leave a soft footprint on the earth out of respect for our future generations.

For all of our feminine hygiene and baby care products, we use only organic and natural materials that meet the highest organic, environmental and biodegradable standards, sourced from raw material producers that manage and monitor resources respectfully and share our principles.

and our vision…

“To develop Natracare into a worldwide symbol for quality, innovation and ethics; available to all women as the natural choice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preserving our environment”.

and the philosophy…

“I have the philosophy that I am at the frontline of all the surviving my ancestors had to do in order for me to exist in this moment in time. With that comes a responsibility to look after what I inherited and to do my very best to preserve an environment that will allow others to look out over the earth in generations to come and to catch their breath at its beauty.”

Mutual respect for the material and functional needs of people in balance with the responsibility to produce products in a measurably sustainable, ethical manner.

Susie Hewson, mother of two, founder, owner and developer of Natracare, winner of 2008 Women in Ethical Business Award and elected Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (FRSA)

History

The national network television program, World in Action, screened on TV in Britain in 1989, drew attention to the effect of Dioxin pollution, its major source of production, and the part it played in sanitary protection manufacture. The unconcerned response of the international feminine hygiene brands so appalled Susie Hewson that her immediate response was to undertake the development of her own tampons and pads with full concern for the health of women and the effect on the environment in production and at disposal.

In the late nineteen eighties, the world was mostly less concerned for climate change and the understanding and concern for our ecosystems and environmental pollution created from global industrial nations was a rarity. Campaigning and action was left to organizations such as Greenpeace, The Women’s Environmental Network and Friends of the Earth who, to most, were considered to be principled hangovers from the campaigners of the 60’s and 70’s. One of their members Susie Hewson, absolutely understood the direction we were headed and the consequence our actions would have on our planet, and this lead her to the creation of Natracare organic and natural feminine hygiene, the first of its kind in the world.

Susie Hewson dedicated her time to her family and her new found destiny, her new business which began with the research and development of Natracare. This involved exploring and researching the damaging raw materials used in the production of tampons and sanitary pads and the development of a viable, functional solution for women. Natracare was launched in 1989 with a full range, including the world’s first certified organic cotton tampons and totally chlorine-free sanitary pads and panty liners. But this was just the beginning of her quest.

The familiar sanitary pads and liners we have grown up with are made from over 90% plastic which is a by product of the petroleum industry, together with dioxin-releasing chlorine bleached wood pulp. The list of plastic materials used in feminine hygiene products includes polyethylene (commonly known as polythene also used to make disposable shopping bags), polypropylene and the superabsorbent polyacrylates, the creation of which produces environmental and climate changing toxins. Plastic is not biodegradable and sanitary products containing these crude oil polymers (also called polyolefins) pollute the land and oceans of the world for all eternity.

Women needed to be reached in order to be educated about the processes and ingredients involved in the production of their sanitary products and the effects that these materials and chemicals were having on their personal health and on our planet. This was a slow process given the power held by the brands in the media. But then in the mid nineties, the internet presented an opportunity to have a one to one dialogue with women all around the world and Natracare embraced this opportunity and spoke straight to the hearts of women about the issues and concerns that Susie Hewson felt about feminine hygiene products and her challenge to make healthier, more environmentally sound products available to all.

Natracare’s multiple award winning range of organic cotton tampons, sanitary pads, panty liners, nursing pads, baby and intimate wipes, are unique in being made from only certified organic and natural, sustainable and renewable materials that are biodegradable and compostable.

Natracare’s environmental commitment is reaffirmed by becoming the first brand to achieve a scientifically validated, independently accredited life cycle analysis in the form of an international Environmental Product Declaration (EPD - www.environdec.com) in 2008 as well as achieving an SIS green labelling accreditation. Susie Hewson obtained the Women in Ethical Business award in 2008 and in 2009, achieved an Ethical Accreditation, being congratulated on achieving an outstanding Ethical Accreditation Index score of 88, placing Natracare at the top of the table for the Sanitary Protection sector.

The Company

The creation and development of the Natracare products reflected the ethical and environmental principles of Susie Hewson and as such it was clearly evident to her that the best and most honest way to ensure that these principles would always be upheld was to maintain development and management of the Natracare brand within the structure of a family business, which is Bodywise (UK) Ltd, a company wholly owned by Susie Hewson and her husband.

The distribution of Natracare around the world is carried out by like-principled distributors who take great care to reflect the ethos of its founder whilst at the same time establishing and maintaining growing market share for Natracare organic and natural products throughout a wide range of retail distribution channels.

We are an award winning ethical company and our environmental commitment is reaffirmed by becoming the first brand to achieve a scientifically validated, independently accredited life cycle analysis in the form of an international Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in 2008 as well as achieving an SIS green labelling accreditation.

Susie Hewson obtained the Women in Ethical Business award in 2008 and in 2009, achieved an Ethical Accreditation, being congratulated on achieving an outstanding Ethical Accreditation Index score of 88, placing Natracare at the top of the table for the Sanitary Protection sector.

The latest research carried out by The Ethical Company Organisation shows how strong their ethical commitment is, with Natracare receiving the highest ECI score within this sector.

Product Highlights:

All Natracare Products Are:

• Totally chlorine-free (TCF) - chlorine bleaching creates a by-product called dioxin which has extremely harmful effects on the environment and has been linked to ill health.  Dioxin is a known carcinogen.
• Not tested on animals
• Biodegradable (between 95% and 100%)
• Free from plastics, polyacrylate superabsorbents, petroleum derivatives, synthetic ingredients and perfumes
• Natracare contains sustainable natural cellulose from ecologically-managed forests and certified organic cotton.

Watch Our Demonstration Video to Learn More About Natracare