ABOUT THE JERSEY SUSTAINABLE PERIOD PRODUCTS PROJECT
JSPPP began as a result of a conversation between Viki and her then 9 year old daughter, which highlighted the fact that the Sexual Health and Relationship Education syllabus being delivered in Jersey schools didn’t cover sustainable period products at all – in fact, it hadn’t changed much since we were at school ourselves all those years ago: plastic-filled sanitary towels destined for the bin, and plastic-wrapped tampons, with the addition of a plastic tampon applicator if you preferred.
After raising the point for discussion on the Journey to Zero Waste Jersey Facebook group, Viki received a lot of support and encouragement to address this issue – initially her idea was to approach her daughter’s school and offer to provide them with some demonstration reusable products to show the children alongside the ‘traditional’ disposable ones.
Louise, JTZWJ Admin, saw the potential to roll this idea out to other schools in the island and made contact with the Education Department, who agreed to offer their support but couldn’t stretch to cover any resources from their annual budget at that time. Undeterred, Louise applied to the Channel Islands Cooperative, who kindly awarded us one of their Eco-grants to help cover the cost of the kits. Louise was lucky enough (and determined enough!) to be able to negotiate great discounts and sample donations for the packs, from the likes of Mooncup, Hey Girls and Dame.
Our Packs
As of Autumn 2021, 40 of our demonstration packs are in use in Jersey schools – both Primary and Secondary. It is in Year 4 that children will get their first look at them. What this means in real terms is that each academic year, around 1000 children are being introduced to the idea of sustainable period products. They will re-visit the packs each year right up until Year 11.
In our packs you will find:
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a menstrual cup
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Period pants
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A washable sanitary towel
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A reusable tampon applicator
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Organic applicator-free tampons
We know that these products might not be for everybody, and we know that lots of people have questions and concerns about using them, but what we really hope to achieve is awareness – an awareness that these products exist out there – and in fact are being added to and improved on all of the time, as the reusable period products market has expanded drastically in recent years. Young people may not jump into using them immediately, but who knows what will happen in a few months or years down the line. We want young people to feel empowered and confident; to look beyond the disposable products that are seen as being ‘traditional’ and convenient, and to know that they can make a more positive choice for our planet. We also really hope that by talking about periods and period products, we might help to lessen the ‘taboo’ of periods.
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions, or come and take a look at our Facebook page, where we have shared a lot of useful information, links to useful websites, and contributions from people who use these products regularly and whole-heartedly recommend them.
The science is out there, and we think it's pretty convincing, but you don't need to take our word for it.
We also have 4 packs available to borrow to look at from the comfort of your own home. Perhaps your child has come home from school talking about them but didn’t feel confident enough to take a good look or ask questions in class, or perhaps you are interested in seeing these products for yourself. If you would like to borrow a pack, please get in touch via the contact form below. We do ask for a returnable deposit of £20, to help cover the pack contents against loss, damage or wear and tear.
JSPPP thank the following for
their support and contribution:
