GladRags focuses on sustainability and reusability.[2] The company's cloth pads are machine-washable and made from soft cotton flannel that folds and snaps around underwear.[3][4] Each cloth pad includes two inserts and a holder and comes in various patterns and colors.[5] They are made to last at least five years[6] and are sometimes used in conjunction with menstrual cups.[7][8][9] The company also sells the XO Flo reusable silicone menstrual cup and was formerly the primary distributor of the Moon Cup brand.[10][11]
GladRags is owned and operated by women.[12] It was founded in 1993 by Brenda Mallory and Karen Paule. Mallory was inspired by reusable cloth diapers. Tracy Puhl has led the company since 2011.[10] In 2013 Puhl was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Oregon and Southwest Washington by the U.S. Small Business Administration.[13] It is cruelty-free and was first certified as a B corporation in 2012.[10] GladRags partners with a women-owned sewing company and other organizations.[10][9]
Typical annual expenditures on disposable menstrual products were US$60 (equivalent to $109.74 in 2023) in 1999; GladRags and Natracare are among the reusable brands recommended for cost-conscious consumers.[14] Products like GladRags, menstrual cups, and natural sea-sponge tampons are all marketed to self-described "conscientious" female consumers.[15] Followers of the zero waste movement may use reusable-pad brands like GladRags, potentially in combination with reusable period underwear, reusable period cups or discs, and/or compostable sponge tampons.[16] They may be used to collect menstrual blood for use as plant fertilizer.[17]
^Haneman, Victoria J. (February 2021). "Menstruation Capitalism, Period Poverty, and the Role of the B Corporation". Columbia Journal of Gender and Law: 7. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3778969.