Modibodi, together with Wen and Bloody Good Period have launched a campaign to axe the VAT on ALL menstrual products. Sustainable period products need to be accessible to all. Find out how you can get involved.



This Tax is Pants!
Modibodi, supported by Wen, are running a campaign “This Tax is Pants”, to get the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to amend the VAT rules so reusable period pants can also benefit from a VAT exemption. It’s important that everyone realises that – contrary to what the Government would have us believe – the war on the tampon tax is not yet over. We need your support to keep this issue in the public eye and get policy-makers to take action so that all sustainable choices of period product – not just a few – are supported with a VAT exemption. Make no mistake – it is great that the majority of menstrual products have been made more affordable and recognised as a necessity. However, the failure to include sustainable options such as period pants in the legislation appears to contravene the UK’s ambition to play a leading role in tackling plastic pollution. Effectively, the Government is penalising those who choose a more sustainable way of managing their period whilst making environmentally harmful disposables more affordable. From an environmental perspective, that sends out completely the wrong message.If 100,000 people used reusable period pants from the start of their menstrual cycle, this would prevent 1.1 billion disposable hygiene products from ending up in landfill or 1.5 million garbage bags of waste.The environmental benefits of period underwear are considerable. If 100,000 people used reusable period pants from the start of their menstrual cycle, this would prevent 1.1 billion disposable hygiene products from ending up in landfill or 1.5 million garbage bags of waste. That’s a huge saving for our planet and a small cost to the Treasury, especially when compared to the annual cost of £88 million a year to clear sewers blocked by menstrual products (combined with fats, oils, grease and food waste) in the UK (Women’s Environmental Network). Period pants are not only more environmentally friendly, but over their lifetime they are more affordable than disposables. Crucially, they have helped change the way people with sensory issues, disabilities or even incredibly long shift hours, such as nurses, live their lives. They enable individuals to feel more at ease during their period, removing some of the stress and anxiety which can come with periods in general or having to deal with embarrassment in public places. The market for period products is evolving for the better, and the Government needs to recognise this and move with the times.
