Lidl Ireland has partnered with Homeless Period Ireland and the Simon Communities of Ireland, committing to provide free sanitary products to people affected by period poverty across 168 of their Irish stores.
Period poverty relates to the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand-washing facilities, and waste management, with a recent study noting that almost half of Irish girls aged between 12-19 find it difficult to pay for sanitary products.
Lidl said they will become the first major retailer in the world to take such action, offering a dedicated coupon for a free box of sanitary pads of tampons per customer each month.
The coupon will be available through their Lidl Plus app, however the retailer has also committed to making quarterly donations of period products to Simon Communities around the country to assist homeless people who may not have access to a smartphone.
Lidl Ireland is also working with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) in order to provide free period products to clubs, while the retailer has also said it will continue to provide free access to sanitary products for Lidl workers.
From today, people who require urgent access to period products can avail of the initiative by using the Lidl app, which will then allow them to sign up for the monthly coupon which they will receive on an ongoing monthly basis from May 3rd.
