Fresh from competing with Team GB at Tokyo 2020, Cumbrian Olympic badminton player Lauren Smith is turning her attention to an environmentally-friendly multi-event Games this month.

Having reached the quarter finals of the mixed doubles with partner Marcus Ellis, Smith is now teaming up with Mooncup to set a challenge at the Planet Earth Games which takes place across August.

Lauren Smith said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Planet Earth Games and Mooncup this August. Over the years I have become much more conscious of environmental issues and my own impact on the climate. Like a lot of people, I am not perfect. I need to travel internationally as a professional player, but there are lifestyle changes we can all make for the greater good. This means using more climate-friendly products in our everyday lives that add up to making a big difference.

“Being sustainable doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice either, it can actually be a lot of fun finding new ways of doing things and being active in nature for our wellbeing. That’s the essence of the Planet Earth Games – if the planet is healthier, we can be healthier.”

Lena Koskela, Marketing Manager for Mooncup Ltd said: “Since the outset, Mooncup Ltd. have been fighting for a world with no period plastic waste on our beaches – or anywhere else for that matter! The Mooncup menstrual cup is made in the UK and trusted by millions, including elite athletes like Lauren, the world over.

Being the pioneers of plastic free periods, we know that the wave of change starts with small ripples. We will be challenging each and every one of us to look around us, spot the single use plastic in our bathrooms and commit to small plastic free swaps in our lives.”

Mooncup’s Planet Earth Games challenge presented by Lauren Smith is a plastic audit and pledge challenge, asking participants to identify all the single-use plastic items in their bathroom and commit to swapping three of them for plastic-free alternative by the end of the year.

The best submission will win a Mooncup® menstrual cup. There are prizes to be won with every Planet Earth Games challenge and a sustainable wooden medal for anyone who successfully completes 10 challenges.