This eco-friendly pregnancy test is made entirely from paper

Hoopsy’s creator Lara Solomon was inspired to design an eco-friendly alternative to plastic tests after a journey with IVF and embryo donation procedures that required her to use ‘countless’ numbers of them.

The Hoopsy test comes in a cardboard tube that can be easily recycled or reused. Inside is a soft plastic pouch containing a strip of paper that incorporates the same technology found in typical tests, which measures the human chorionic gonadotropin levels in urine.

After 5 to 10 minutes of waiting, one or two lines indicating a result will appear. Once this is read, users can cut the test in half with scissors to discard the testing strip and throw the clean half in paper recycling bins.

Of course, with newer designs there is always worry about the efficacy of the product. But trials gave proven that Hoopsy works as well as traditional tests, with over 99 percent accuracy. It is now sold in the UK, Europe, and soon, Australia.

Unlike most other sustainable solutions, customers won’t have to fork out additional cash to reduce their impact on the planet.

Hoopsy comes in packs containing 1 to 10 tests and sit at the same price point as those found in most pharmacies.

Other companies are working to reduce the need for plastic in testing methods, such as a biodegradable pregnancy test called Lia and paper Covid tests by Morrama.

Though single-use products are pretty much necessary when it comes to most areas of health and personal care, it’s encouraging to see the plastic isn’t the only option we have.

And thanks to entrepreneurs and design companies, it looks like we’ll be phasing out plastic in small but impactful ways more often.