The Consell de Formentera is proud to announce its partnership with New Period, a campaign by Rezero to normalise and promote healthier, more environmentally friendly and fairer menstrual products. Susana Labrador, councillor of education, described plans to reach years four, five and six at Marc Ferrer Secondary School by explaining "all the options of existing menstrual products and empowering students in critical and responsible consumption".
Workshops
Information will also be provided online and through five workshops for associations and groups focused on equality and sports and staff of the Consell de Formentera. The workshops will be geared toward strengthening and amplifying menstrual education on the island.
Rezero, a non-profit foundation, emerged as an outgrowth of the taboo and stigma that persist around menstruation. Marta Beltran, project manager at Rezero, decries a "lack of adequate information and education, which perpetuates poor accessibility to safe (toxin-free), fair (tax-free and produced in respectful conditions) and circular (reusable) products needed by female-bodied individuals and others who menstruate".
Bertran also points out that "the vast majority of menstrual products on the market are single-use items such as pads and tampons, which have environmental, economic, health and social impacts starting in production and continuing well beyond their disposal". In the Balearic Islands, the over 135 million menstrual products consumed in 2019 generated about 1,620 tonnes of waste.
"From reusables like menstrual underwear, linen pads and menstrual cups, to free bleeding and toxin- and plastic-free products, better alternatives to traditional menstrual products have been available for decades", says Beltran, "but only a minority of individuals know about and use them regularly".
This initiative benefits from the collaboration of the education, equality, citizen participation and environment offices of the Consell de Formentera.
13 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera