Mohit Panjwani1· Yugendhar Rapolu· Mehak Chaudhary· Mohak Gulati· KaranRazdan· AnanyaDhawan· V.R.Sinha Received: 25 April 2023 / Revised: 21 July 2023 / Accepted: 25 July 2023 ©️ The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023AbstractThe use of sanitary napkins during menstruation is inevitable. However, they pose a menace to the environment because of the associated non-biodegradability. Conventional sanitary napkins are composed of around 90% plastic, which goes to landfill and remains there for centuries leading to an increased carbon footprint. A study conducted on major brands of sanitary napkins in India revealed that the presence of various phthalate groups harms neurological, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems in women and volatile organic compounds show harmful neurological effects including paralysis and memory loss. To overcome this environmental mayhem and severe pathological effects, various approaches have been undertaken by researchers and government authorities. Plant-based alternatives aid the dire need to manufacture sanitary napkins which can decompose and leave no threat to biodiversity. The use of organic materials like cotton, jute, bamboo, banana fibers, and neem leaves in making sanitary napkins holds magnanimous potential. The utilization of sansevieria and water hyacinth to produce sanitary napkins served the dual purpose of recreating life in water bodies and providing financial independency to the local women in Africa. Leftovers of many natural products during their processing end up creating an increased amount of waste material. Incorporating the industrial waste in the absorbent layer to generate eco-friendly nap-kins retains the sustainable tripod and also reduces the cost which will make napkins affordable by women of every class in society. This review sheds light on the grave issue of disposal and non-biodegradability of currently used marketed sanitary napkins, various biodegradable approaches and their importance over conventional sanitary napkins, that can be adopted to overcome this environmental problem