Partnering to close the menstrual health gap

UNFPA’s partnership with the global health and hygiene company Essity promotes investments in women’s health and aims to advance menstrual health equity, gender equality and the well-being of society.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency and is working with Essity to champion global advocacy and awareness on menstrual health and period poverty. These areas remain critically underfunded and are often overlooked in policy development. The partnership focuses on disseminating inclusive, accurate information on how to manage menstrual health without stigma or discrimination. 

Essity has led Essential Talks – public events held virtually – to normalize menstruation and raise awareness of the need for access to safe and affordable menstrual health products. UNFPA and Essity have also supported high-level events and thought leadership, including publications that outline a policy roadmap to closing the menstrual health gap and advancing menstrual health equity. 

Championing women’s health in the workplace

Essity is a member of the UNFPA-led Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business. Their participation supports the integration of women’s health into corporate policies and business models with a strong focus on menstrual health.

Essity became the first global UNFPA partner to pilot and endorse the Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business metrics. Their internal model includes providing free period products in all company washrooms – across offices, manufacturing sites and production facilities to ensure universal access to safe period products for all employees.

These efforts are supported by awareness-raising initiatives, such as Courageous Conversations, a programme that encourages open dialogue and employee engagement on key diversity, equity and inclusion topics. Discussions on menstrual health and menopause help break social taboos, build trust, and create safe spaces to address sexual and reproductive health in the workplace.

To mobilize the private sector more broadly, UNFPA and Essity organize high-level advocacy initiatives, including a private sector roundtable on women’s health and rights at work for the Nordic region. This dialogue connected policymakers, businesses and international organizations to increase investments in women’s reproductive health across workplaces.

Building best practices

Essity has contributed to UNFPA’s growing body of best practices, including a case study called Spotlight on Menopause. Recognizing that menopausal women represent a rapidly growing segment of the workforce, Essity is helping to transform workplaces to ensure women feel supported and valued, thereby improving well-being, preventing talent loss, and strengthening productivity.