International Women’s Day, marked annually on March 8, is one of the biggest days of the year.

Worldwide, groups and individuals unify to celebrate and support women’s advancement.   

Here at Interface, we are proud to support women, whether they run businesses, lead on research and innovation in organisations, or contribute to our world-class universities, research institutes and colleges.

We bring together Scotland’s academic and business communities to deliver economic, environmental, and social prosperity for Scotland.

Here are a few examples of collaborations we’ve supported recently:

The Bettii Pod Ltd, founded in 2021 by Elaine Galston, is encouraging women to convert from single use disposable products to reusables via a menstrual cup washer and sanitiser installed in gyms, cafes and other public spaces.

Interface connected Elaine with West College Scotland to undertake extensive research, design, and regulations compliance to create a prototype of the world’s first away-from-home sanitiser.

The project looked at designing an installable sanitary washer, identifying related infrastructure requirements, and developing installation training.

The academic team filled crucial gaps in electrical and plumbing expertise, providing insights into design alterations, impact on sustainability and compliance with standards. The collaboration ensured the product’s alignment with industry standards and efficient installation requirements. 

This groundbreaking collaboration has been shortlisted in the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2024 in two categories – Innovation of the Year and Making a Social Difference – to be announced on March 14.

Another mission-led organisation tackling period poverty is Floco, which makes reusable sanitary pads and provides menstrual health education.

Interface introduced the social enterprise to two universities for different aspects of developing the sanitary products, making them more affordable and environmentally friendly than alternatives.

Following a search of Interface’s academic partners, Dr Danmei Sun, Associate Professor of Textile Materials & Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, undertook a feasibility study funded by a Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher. The results identified materials which went into manufacturing the pads, launched in 2020.

Following the initial project, Floco returned to Interface to undertake a consultancy project around strategy and business growth. Working with a student at the University of Stirling, Floco explored the potential of targeting the pads at a specific demographic, behavioural attitudes towards buying sustainable products, analysing the sustainability of the business, and optimising supply chain opportunities.

Outwith femtech innovations such as the two featured above, Interface supports organisations across all sectors to tap into Scotland’s colleges, research institutes and universities.

Many of these collaborations support a more inclusive Scotland, from travel and tourism to health and wellbeing and mobility.

Want to find out more? Check out all our case studies or contact us at info@interface-online-org.uk

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