Photo: Courtesy of EGAL Pads
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Somerville engineer Tom Devlin wants to turn pads into the new toilet paper. He sees a dearth of period products in public restrooms, so he has invented a way to dispense pads easily and freely right next to the TP.
It's "all about equality in the bathroom," Devlin said.
He and CEO Penelope Finnie started EGAL Pads, naming the company after the English prefix for "equal," like "egalitarian." When the idea first came to him in 2019, Devlin was already working with absorbent materials. The design of the pads is even similar to toilet paper: individually wrapped pads which can be torn off a roll. Devlin says the form factor is intentional, allowing the rolls to be easily loaded by janitors without much fuss.
Devlin hasn't shied away from a big vision, either. He wants his pads in bathrooms to become a social expectation.
"We are successful when pads are provided in every public stall in the United States," he said. "People who menstruate should not have to carry products around...we think in ten years, this will be standard," he said. The company has already made some progress on its goal, with products installed in Cambridge and a pilot at the University of New Hampshire.
When asked how much the products would cost businesses, Devlin said it would be about $4-6 per user, per year. The rolls cost about 10% more than toilet paper.
"Every facility has to pay for toilet paper, why not add a little bit more?"
Devlin also said the cost may be rendered moot, because some municipalities are beginning to mandate period products in all bathrooms.
Listen to the conversation between WBZ NewsRadio's Laurie Kirby (@LaurieWBZ) and EGAL Pads Founder Tom Devlin:
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