Menstrual Health Day

"I'm proud to say that our company empowers our employees to empower others around the world. Our scale and powerful corporate brand purpose in Breaking Barriers to Well-being enables us to have a meaningful impact on the way people live every day", says Joséphine Edwall-Björklund, Senior Vice President Communication at Essity.

Stress during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic maybe be affecting the body and menstrual cycles.

Many girls and women around the world can’t afford or struggle to buy menstrual products, this is a problem that holds them back. Together with our brand Bodyform, we are committed to help continue fight against period poverty globally. By end of 2022 we will have donated 7.2m pads.

A global study reveals women’s quest for the perfect vulva. But there is one problem. It doesn’t exist. Bodyforms’s campaign Viva La Vulva celebrates the vulva in all its beautiful forms and fights against the myths, insecurities and stereotypes that women are subjected to when trying to care for their vulvas.

‘Period poverty’ means being unable to access sanitary products and having a poor knowledge of menstruation often due to financial constraints. In the UK, 1 in 10 girls can’t afford to buy menstrual products. Bodyform partners with In Kind Direct and has since 2017 donated 3.6 million pads to local community groups and charitable organizations.

Periods are normal, so should talking about it be. We believe that to normalize periods all children should be fully educated about periods. Bodyform in UK drives the Fear Going to School Less campaign aiming to improve period education and tackle the taboos around periods, regardless of gender and done with boys and girls in the same group.

One significant obstacle that leaves many women at a disadvantage is the stigma around menstruation. Women who menstruate need a private space for washing and managing their menstruation. These needs are overlooked far too often, making menstruation an impediment in community participation, education and working life.

In our 2020 study, it is shown that there is a negative trend globally, with fewer and fewer parents talking about menstruation with their daughters at home. Periods are natural, yet home conversations to create trust and understanding still don not seem to happen everywhere. We are dedicated to breaking the taboo and help to drive these sensitive conversations. 

Over the last few years, we have witnessed a transformation in how menstruation is talked about in public. Decision-makers in both the public and private sectors have a particular responsibility to drive this change. Also companies working in this field have a role to play in challenging taboos around menstruation.