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As a point of gender equality, menstrual-care products should be as readily available and free of charge as toilet paper, paper towels, toilet seat covers and soap.
At least 12 states (including the District of Columbia) have enacted laws requiring the availability of free menstrual products in schools. This move is aimed at helping students maintain their health, dignity and access to education without any hindrances due to the lack of essential menstrual care products.
But schools aren’t the only institutions facing this change. Correctional facilities are now required by law to provide free menstrual products in at least 24 states. And three states now require them in homeless shelters.
As a facility manager, it’s worth considering how you can implement this solution into your own organization, whether it’s a school, prison, shelter or private entity. That’s because providing free and readily available menstrual products in your facility can actually reduce your operating expenses.
That’s right. Free tampons can reduce costs.
Here’s how:
- Free tampons eliminate the lost time that women spend acquiring tampons.
- Free tampons reduce the total amount of restroom cleaning time.
- Tampons are essential items, and you provide other essential items for free.
It’s time to add period care products to the essential-items list.
Plus, free tampon use will arguably reduce the instances of makeshift period care products created from toilet paper and paper towels. You may very well find that the budget dollars you’ve been spending on toilet paper, napkins and paper towels will decrease, effectively offsetting the cost of the free tampons and pads.
What's stopping you from providing free tampons now? Probably your budget. Or lack thereof.
As a facility manager, you may be considering providing free menstrual care products for employees or customers, but you might be worried about the cost.
What you’ll typically find is that the cost adds up to a surprisingly low amount compared to other standard office perks you already provide.
For example, Free the Tampon, an advocacy group focused on getting period products funded by state budgets, estimates that it costs $5-$7 per year per person to supply period products. The average cost of providing free coffee: $50-$125 per year per person.
If you don’t put much stock into estimates, then let’s look at a relatively recent real-world example of the cost of providing free menstrual products in your facility.
Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) in Massachusetts tracked its menstrual product purchases cumulatively over a three-year period between 2017 and 2019.1 CPS tracked the costs of tampons and pads but also the cost of the dispensers for these products.
The data analysis shows that the cost of providing free period products can be even lower than most governments and businesses think.
About 1,700 female students made use of the restrooms stocked with these products.
So, on a per-student basis, the cost of the menstrual products (including waste wrappers but excluding receptacles and dispensers) was approximately $2.48 per student per year.
What if you still don't have the budget dollars to fund free menstrual products?
Let your Staples Business Advantage® representative help. If you’re not currently working with Staples Business Advantage, then you’re clearly at a disadvantage. Click here to fix that now.
Your Staples Business Advantage rep can help you determine the best way to provide free tampons with the budget you have today. We’re adept at finding cost savings that can really add up. The 1.8 billion people on the planet who menstruate every month2 will be thankful.
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