Taking period products from nice-to-have to necessity with Dignity NZ
10 June, 2024
Taking sanitary products from nice-to-have to necessity with Dignity NZ
Ever had to choose between your period or school? How about your period or work? These are the kinds of choices no one should ever have to make. But every day, millions do. Because despite steps towards progress, people all over the world are still missing out on education, income, and daily life, just because of their periods. And New Zealand – the home of SaniPod™ – is no exception.
Research from four of Aotearoa’s biggest universities showed as many as 8% of menstruating year 9-13 students skipped school during their periods, because they didn’t have access to sanitary products. In lower socio-economic areas, that number jumped to a confronting 21%.
Luckily, there are organisations across the country working tirelessly to bring these numbers down to zero. Organisations like Dignity NZ. Read on to find out who Dignity is, what they do, and how we’re working together to make sure sanitary products are accessible to anyone and everyone who needs them.
Dignity NZ is on a mission to end period poverty in Aotearoa.
Dignity is a social enterprise founded in 2017, with the goal of making sure no one is ever held back by their period. Dignity provides affordable organic period products to businesses across the country. And for every business’s purchase, they gift the equivalent amount of period products to community organisations – like food banks, youth groups, teen parent units and more.
Through this important work, Dignity has gifted over 860,00 individual period products. Bringing confidence, hope, and dignity to women, girls and menstruators up and down the country.
Join the Dignity revolution and share some social goodness – find out more here
Changing the conversation around periods.
Societal taboos around periods are still going strong, and their effect on menstruators can be crippling. In 2020, it was estimated around 70,000 New Zealanders lacked access to basic period education – despite it being taught in schools from age 11. This education gap can lead to feelings of embarrassment, anxiety and low self-esteem. Long story short? The more we talk about periods, the better.
That’s why Dignity isn’t just breaking down the barriers to period product access. They’re also breaking down the stubborn stigma surrounding menstruation. By releasing regular Impact Reports and advocating for societal change, they’re playing a major role in changing the period conversation in New Zealand.
How we’re working with Dignity to help end period poverty.
We’re proud to have worked with Dignity since 2020, and our partnership is still going strong to this day. For every SaniPod™ unit sold, we donate $1 to Dignity. So every time a business chooses SaniPod™ , they’re not just giving their employees and customers a world-class sanitary disposal experience. They’re helping give period products to those who need them most.
As part of our partnership, we’re also signed up with Dignity’s ‘Buy One, Give One’ corporate sponsorship programme. Through this great initiative, businesses can provide their employees with free sanitary products – and gift the equivalent to people in the community who lack access to these everyday essentials.
For SaniPod™, creating change starts close to home.
SaniPod™ is a global business, found in some of the world’s busiest and best washrooms. But we’re designed right here in New Zealand. That’s why we’re so thrilled to partner with a great New Zealand organisation like Dignity, who’s doing so much to shift the dial on period poverty.
The last three years have seen us donate thousands of dollars to Dignity, and bring thousands more free sanitary items to people in need. We can’t wait to see what we can achieve in the years still to come.
Find out how your business can work with Dignity NZ to bring organic period products to your own team, and to your wider community.