In Bangladesh, a girl getting her first period often marks the beginning of a lifelong struggle, not just with her body, but with stigma, financial hardship, and environmental injustice.
Period poverty, which refers to a lack of access to period supplies, clean sanitation facilities, and education, still affects hundreds of thousands of women and girls across the country.
Even though more people know about the problem, a lot of them still use unhygienic materials like old clothes, or even sand and ash.
According to a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2023, about 95% of women and 90% of teenage girls in Dhaka's slum areas still use filthy cloths during their periods. This exposes them to serious health issues like scabies, urinary tract infections, and problems with pregnancy.
Menstruation is a natural physiological process, but for many people in Bangladesh, it becomes dangerous to their health and a financial burden. This unfairness is not only due to poverty; it is also due to the system's failure to see menstrual health as a basic right.
The economic impact of menstruation
The 2018 Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey found that just 29% of women use sanitary pads. The rest choose cheaper but less safe options.
The reasons are not surprising: Even if raw materials are now exempt from VAT, imported sanitary pads are still too expensive because the Total Tax Incidence (TTI) is over 127%. Big companies might be able to handle this, but small businesses or businesses owned by women can't because of intricate tax regulations that require big investments and worker quotas.
However, these inequities are not limited to the tax sheet; they ripple through classrooms and clinics. School attendance among girls drops during menstruation, especially where toilets and disposal systems are inadequate.
The discomfort and fear of leakage lead women to avoid public life and workplaces, which eventually creates an unfavourable situation for them.
The cost to the environment is equally shocking as well; most disposable pads are made of almost 90% plastic, which clogs drains and streams and takes hundreds of years to break down.
A missed opportunity for green innovation
The current system isn’t only failing women; it’s failing the planet. In a country that is already drowning in plastic trash, regular sanitary pads, which are made mostly of plastic, are like time bombs for the environment.
Bangladesh is missing a clear avenue to green innovation by banning polythene while importing mountains of non-biodegradable menstrual products, including silicone release paper, high-absorbent air-laid paper, and adhesive tape.
What if we reframe the fight against period poverty as a dual battle, one for equity and one for sustainability?
Pads manufactured from banana fiber, bamboo pulp, or cotton that break down in the environment can be a viable solution.
Scientists and entrepreneurs have already invented potential biodegradable options made from jute cellulose, bamboo pulp, potato starch, and other natural fibers. These materials decompose in months, not centuries.
Pilot projects have also proven that these alternatives can be manufactured cheaply with materials found nearby. But they are still niche products, stuck in small-scale businesses and organizations that rely on donations.
Hence, the bottleneck is in institutionalization, rather than in invention.
These new products will never make it to stores in large numbers without support from policies, investment incentives, and more efficient production systems.
Countries like India (Saathi Pads) and Kenya (ZanaAfrica) are adding biodegradable pads to their national plans, but Bangladesh could lose its own native solutions if it doesn't act quickly.
Shifting the policy lens
One-time CSR efforts or temporary aid won't solve period poverty; it needs a change in the system that starts with acknowledging menstrual hygiene as a basic human right.
To help local biodegradable pad makers, both the government and the private sector need to get rid of barriers like high thresholds and give tax incentives and loans with low interest rates to promote decentralized hubs in areas that are at risk.
Menstrual hygiene should be integrated into public health and education, with schools supplying free biodegradable pads, awareness programs, proper disposal, and municipal waste management.
Equally vital is normalizing menstruation discussions by involving men and boys and breaking social taboos through education that reaches beyond classrooms into communities.
There are already some initiatives in place. Initiatives like Ritu in Netrakona, supported by Simavi, Red Orange, and the Dutch government, combine education and access for girls aged 10–13. Some schools have installed pad vending machines and gender-inclusive toilets. UNFPA's voucher programs have assisted girls who are vulnerable in purchasing hygiene products.
These are promising starts. However, fragmentary initiatives cannot replace a coherent strategy.
Without mechanisms in place, most women who menstruate will continue to bleed in silence, from waste management procedures to tax reform.
It’s also time to recognize the waste workers and school janitors handling menstrual waste. They need protective gear, training, and dignity. Ignoring this link in the cycle leads to the continuation of environmental and occupational poverty.
The road ahead
Menstrual justice is inseparable from climate justice. People don't talk about period poverty very much when they talk about climate change, but it has a big impact on the environment.
Bangladesh's cities make a lot of menstrual waste, and a lot of it is burned or thrown away without any safety measures. Switching to biodegradable pads and cheap reusable options like menstrual cups is important for women's health and dignity, and it's also a key way to contribute to environmental justice. Tax policies need to reflect this reality by giving funds for eco-friendly menstrual products so that everyone can use them.
In Bangladesh, period poverty is not only a public health problem but also a failure of inventiveness and political will. Establishing a link between menstruation with sustainability, education, and respect, we can create a model that uplifts women and protects the environment.
Fatema Tuz Zuhra and Afsana Akter are Research Associates at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM).
