Master thesis/Hiwi/semester research project

Research projects on assessing the sustainability of menstrual products

15.01.2025, Diplomarbeiten, Bachelor- und Masterarbeiten

We are looking for students who want to gain hands-on experience on life cycle assessment or life cycle costing.

Menstrual products are still an under-researched and stigmatized topic. Menstrual hygiene products are often single-use products (e.g. tampons or pads), containing up to 90% of plastic and packaged in plastic as well. They are typically incinerated, landfilled or, in some cases, mismanaged and leaked to the environment.

Reusable alternatives can lead to less waste – if reused sufficient times. However, they require water, energy and often soap to wash them between each reuse. Thus, to find the most sustainable alternatives, it is relevant to understand the potential environmental impacts of the different stages of the products’ life cycles (e.g. raw material extraction, production, transportation, use and end of life). Given the fact that menstrual hygiene products are virtually unavoidable, it is relevant to search for pathways to minimize their potential environmental impacts.

For this project we are looking for support in the following tasks:
1. Life cycle assessment of menstrual hygiene products, including the development of a plastic pollution indicator – Hiwi and/or Master thesis
2. Life cycle costing of menstrual hygiene products – Master thesis or semester research project

Start: From February 2025

Kontakt: elena.corella@tum.de

More Information

https://cec.cs.tum.de/team/dr-elena-corella-puertas/