Hygiene products for women: free pads and tampons in Scotland

What has been in force in schools since 2021 is now being expanded: period products must be available free of charge in Scottish educational institutions and municipal facilities in the future.

In Scotland, educational institutions and municipal bodies will in future be required to provide free period products. The corresponding law against so-called period poverty – the “Period Products Act” – has been in effect since today. Scotland is the first country in the world to make the provision of menstrual hygiene products a legal requirement.

Scottish Labor MP Monica Lennon, who sponsored the law passed back in 2020, said: “Especially now, with the cost of living rising, the law is a beacon of hope, showing what can be achieved when politicians come together and for the good of people act.”

High cost of products

Since 2017, Scotland has invested around £27m ($35m) to make pads and tampons accessible in public places. Availability has been mandatory in schools for the past year and is now being expanded. “We are proud to be the first national government in the world to take this step,” said Social Affairs Secretary Shona Robison.

Period poverty – the fact that girls and women cannot afford suitable period products – is a problem in many countries around the world. A 2017 survey by aid organization Plan International found that 10% of girls and young women aged 14 to 21 in the UK could not afford menstrual products. 15 percent had financial difficulties affording them. According to various calculations, the cost of menstrual products can be up to 20,000 euros over the entire lifetime.

VAT reduction in Germany

Tampons and pads will no longer be taxed in the UK since 2021. The VAT for the products was completely eliminated at the beginning of last year. In the EU countries, at least five percent VAT applies to tampons and pads. In Germany, VAT on pads and tampons has been reduced from 19 to 7 percent in 2020.

The debate about a possible abolition of the tax on period products and the provision of tampons or pads in public facilities is also being held in Germany. More than 87,000 people have signed an online petition by the Social Period association for free access to menstrual products in public facilities.