Cover Meet Leigh Carcel, Ecoflo founder and a visionary
Meet Leigh Carcel, Ecoflo founder and a visionary
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Anything taboo is out of style. Normalising difficult conversations about menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, and other issues should be the main priority
When Ecoflo founder and visionary Leigh Carcel suffered from mild incontinence due to an accident that affected her spinal cord, she found it difficult to do daily tasks. By wearing adult diapers, she was able to control her menstruation and leaks better—but the fact remains that it was uncomfortable. Inspiration came through a friend who urged her to use period underwear. It changed her life.
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“I was in Australia visiting my sister when I flew down a long flight of steps. I was immediately taken to the hospital. Now, I have two titanium rods on my back and a reconstructed vertebrae,” says Carcel. The very next morning of her surgeries, the doctor told her that she may never walk again. “I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down.” She couldn’t move any of her limbs or feet. It was only after a month of her stay in the hospital that she gained a little bit of hope—her left toe slowly started moving. Small victories were what mattered to her the most at that time.
After three months, she can already stand and walk a few steps but is, unfortunately, still dependent on a wheelchair. Her next seven months consisted of intensive outpatient rehabilitation, which proved to be a tough row to hoe due to the mild incontinence (a side effect of her surgeries). Carcel gets leaks when she coughs, sneezes, or even jumps. So, when she was asked to jump and run during rehab, she had no choice but to wear adult diapers. And the worst part for any confident woman: “I couldn’t wear cute leggings or shorts because it was just too bulky,” she says.
Above Ecoflo founder Leigh Carcel
Ecoflo founder Leigh Carcel
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At that time, the visionary wasn’t feeling great, and the diapers weren’t helping her mentally and emotionally. Help came through an environmentalist friend, who introduced her to leak-proof period underwear, which was reasonably available in Australia and other parts of the world. “It was a game changer,” she shares. “It was so good I started using it for my period. And again, it worked just as well.”
These underwear are reusable, washable, and sustainable. “It can get a little icky initially, but you get used to it. It is a wonderful product that is available in Australia and in the US, but not really so much in the Philippines when I did my research,” Carcel says. She talked to some people in the investment community, and they told her that it’s a niche market in the country. But women are not markets. These stuff are a necessity and should be readily available for every woman. “It’s quite popular and useful to some women in different places already; I’m sure it can be useful to [Filipinas] too,” she adds. And thus, Ecoflo was born.
Founded and developed by Carcel, Ecoflo is a more sustainable alternative to single-use, disposable feminine care products. While the concept of period underwear has been gaining traction in other parts of the world, the choices and awareness in the Philippines remain relatively limited. Her brand aims to bridge this gap.
“As a young brand born out of a desire to offer more sustainable solutions in feminine care, we are dedicated to looking at new materials and production methods to help reduce our carbon footprint,” she explains.
The Philippines is the leading contributor to plastic pollution of the ocean. According to a recent Plastic Polluters Study, it accounts for 36 per cent of the world’s total plastic waste. Of the overwhelming 350,000 tons of plastic that enters the country’s shores alone, a good portion comes from single-use, disposable napkins, tampons, and diapers. “We are not going to solve the world’s climate problem 100 per cent, but individually, we can help through Ecoflo,” declares Carcel.
Above A variety of Ecoflo products worn by women
A variety of Ecoflo products worn by women
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Ecoflo is more than just a brand. It’s a movement where you can talk about women’s issues. The latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicate over 50 million women in the country. Among these, over 30 million are menstruating, and 80 per cent encounter leaks during one cycle. These millions of women deserve a safe space to discuss their problems without judgment or embarrassment.
“I know it’s hard to talk about. I just told you about my incontinence problem in the past, and it was difficult. But sometimes, when telling my male friends about my business, even the most progressive ones try to suppress laughter or giggles,” she shares. She dreams of a time when she can talk about it in the open, but Ecoflo is a stepping stone for now.
Above Leigh Carcel with an Ecoflo product: a period underwear
Leigh Carcel with an Ecoflo product: a period underwear
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By amplifying the hushed conversations on intimate care, Carcel, with Ecoflo, actively endeavours to normalise the realities around the female body and its needs. She dares to challenge preconceived notions of beauty and health with empowering messages that inspire women to embrace their bodies.
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Credits
Images: Ecoflo
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
