The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
Each year since 2012, October 11 has marked the United Nation’s International Day of the Girl, a day aimed to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face across the world.
One of the biggest obstacles girls in the UK and across the world face is period poverty. UNESCO estimates that 50 per cent of girls living in Central Africa and South and West Asia do not have access to period products, while a poll by Bloody Big Brunch found that a quarter of girls in the UK have been forced to miss work or school because they cannot afford period products.
While the government took steps earlier this year to ensure that every child in England will be able to access free menstrual products at schools and colleges from early 2020, there are a number of sanitary product brands helping out women from other countries in need.
Below, we’ve rounded up five UK-based menstrual product brands who are paying it forward.
OHNE
Billed as ‘not your average period product’, OHNE is a subscription-based service leading the sustainability charge with its toxin-free tampons. Selling 100 per cent cotton tampons – of the ‘naked’ and cardboard applicator variety – OHNE has also started selling CBD oil in collaboration with Graces London as a natural alternative to period cramp relief.
How OHNE is making a difference: the company is providing school girls in Zambia with health and menstrual education as well as materials to make reusable sanitary pads and building new, hygienic toilet blocks.
&Sisters
These pH-neutral cotton period products are made using organic cotton meaning they are kinder to your body and also the environment. Choose from a one-off purchase, a subscription box that can be tailored to your needs or opt for the reusable nüdie period cup made from 100 per cent hypoallergenic soft medical-grade silicone.
How &Sisters is making a difference: 10 per cent of its profits goes to the &SISTERS Foundation to support women’s health, education and economic empowerment.
Freda
Created by women, for women, Freda offers a customisable subscription box of sanitary products delivered to your door. All products – from tampons to night and day pads and panty liners – are made from 100 per cent eco-friendly and renewable materials and you can even use Freda’s Period Calculator to sync the deliveries to your cycle.
How Freda is making a difference: Freda donates a portion of its profits to charities like Bloody Good Period, The Red Box Project and A Bloody Good Cause. Freda also allows you to donate its products to an initiative of your choice at a subsidised price.
Flo
Flo products boast a number of eco credentials. From its 100 per cent organic cotton tampons, to its 100 per cent BPA-free applicators and organically-gown bamboo pads with biodegradable wrappers, everything Flo produces has sustainability at the forefront. Vegan and cruelty-free, Flo’s subscription based services also offer free delivery in the UK.
How Flo is making a difference: 5 per cent of Flo’s profits go towards charities like Orchid Project which works to end female genital mutilation. It also donates menstrual products to the Red Box Project who distributes the products to schools and Bloody Good Period who distributes the products to asylum seekers and the homeless.
Etica
Taking a three-pronged approach to resolving current issues around menstruation, Etica aims to tackle period poverty, reduce plastic pollution and promote vaginal health with its environmentally-friendly products. Available to buy as singular items or as part of a subscription, Etica’s pads are not only biodegradable but compostable too.
How Eitca is making a difference: Etica donates 5 per cent of its profits to both Actionaid UK and the Marine Conservation Society to help both the environment and women in need. It also donates a portion of its pads to charities helping to eradicate period poverty in the UK.
