PROCUREMENT OF ECO-FRIENDLY MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS TO END PERIOD POVERTY IN SCHOOLS

That this house welcomes the Government's announcement of period poverty funding which will fight stigma around menstruation and provide free period products in primary and secondary schools across England; notes that 4.3 billion disposable menstrual products are used in the UK every year and an estimated 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million sanitary towels are flushed down the toilet every day; is concerned that the period poverty funding could be spent on brands which contain up to 90% plastic that ends up in landfill and the sea and takes centuries to break down; is gravely concerned that marine wildlife is at serious risk from plastic pollution with our oceans at crisis point; notes that during the Marine Conservation Society Great British Beach Clean 2018, on the 294 beaches across England that were cleaned and surveyed, volunteers found on average 249 tampon applicators and 242 panty liners; calls on the Government to set out that the definition of an appropriate range of period products as referred to in the recently published invitation to tender for the procurement of free sanitary products in schools means eco-friendly, sustainable tampons and pads and the inclusion of reusable menstrual products; and urges the Government not to miss this opportunity to tackle period poverty and the single use plastic crisis simultaneously.