Plastic Free, Shame Free. Period  

This Environmenstrual Week 2022 the Women’s Environment Network (WEN) are shining a light on the health of women, girls and those who menstruate and abolish the shame and plastic around periods.

The organisation advocates for healthy, sustainable, safe, and affordable period products for all, while busting stigma and taboos. Even in 2022, menstruation is surrounded by a shroud of secrecy and shame.

This period shame dictates which products we use and how we dispose of them. This has an impact on the health of women, girls and people who menstruate AND massive consequences on the environment and wildlife nationally and globally.

It also shapes the products mainstream manufacturers market to us. For example the added synthetic fragrance used to overpower ‘menstrual odour’ and the needless and harmful added antimicrobials.

Brightly coloured wasteful plastic wrapping is deployed to help us hide period products, and the lighter plastic filled pads to conceal neatly in our pants, so nobody knows we are on our period!

Period shame means that many of us feel we need to dispose of our period products down toilets, the so-called ‘flush and forget’ solution. Often there aren’t bins available to dispose of them correctly.

It has been estimated that of the 4.3 billion menstrual products used each year in the UK between 1.5-2 billion are flushed. That is about 35-47% of products.  As well as blocking sewers, used period products along with wipes make their way into waterways and our sea, polluting and harming wildlife.

But there is some good news

In recent years the surge in the use of reusable and organic single-use disposable products has led to a revolution in period product innovation and a huge increase in those switching to reusables, 18% of the market last year.

This brings big benefits for our health, wildlife, and the environment. But we still need greater transparency and more urgently, regulation for all period products.

What you can do

This October help bust the myths, shame and plastic pollution by sharing a host of brilliant assets and resources from WEN in your community. Including:

Free online workshops and events

Info and Discount Codes on Plastic free Period Products

Run a social media campaign. All the assets and info is provided for you here

There’s more info in the full campaign toolkit here

Credit: Blog content created from WEN resources