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• Barriers to reusable period product uptake in Scotland

Research highlights barriers to reusable period product uptake in Scotland

Despite progressive legislation guaranteeing free access to menstrual products in Scotland, new research from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh reveals that reusable period products remain significantly underused, with only 3% of students who are menstruating relying on them exclusively.

Dominique Haig, a master's student at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, has explored why uptake of reusable menstrual products remains low, despite the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 encouraging their distribution. The findings point to a complex web of barriers - institutional, educational, and infrastructural - that prevent organisations fully understanding and complying with the Act’s goals around equity, sustainability, and choice.

Dominique, a student in QMU’s Institute of Global Health and Development, explained: 

We found that while reusable products are technically available across colleges, universities and public organisations, they’re often out of sight – sometimes hidden behind reception desks or restricted to student unions. This type of gatekeeping, combined with poor signposting and limited education, means many students, who may be particularly vulnerable to period poverty, don’t even know they have the option of accessing the free sanitary products.

The research has identified that students most likely to benefit from reusable products - such as low-income, disabled, and trans/non-binary individuals - face disproportionate barriers. These include:

• inconsistent menstrual education and limited teacher training, leaving students unaware of their entitlements and product options.
• parental influence, which can shape attitudes toward menstruation and product choices, especially when stigma or misinformation has shaped communication.
• inadequate washing facilities and lack of private spaces, which make using reusables impractical in many institutions.

“One teacher told us that students often don’t receive menstrual education until halfway through the school year,” Dominique explained. “By then, their understanding is shaped mostly by what their parents have told them.”

In addition, student input rarely shaped procurement practices which resulted in the purchase of reusable produced that didn’t meet the needs of students in terms of quality and aesthetic preferences – resulting in wasted budgets and a continual reliance on single use sanitary wear.  

“We spoke to one university procurement officer who confirmed that students had to go to a specific location to collect reusable products,” Dominique added. “That alone can be a deterrent, especially if the space isn’t welcoming or inclusive.”

The availability of free sanitary wear across Scotland has been an excellent way of improving equality for women across the country. However, without targeted interventions, Scotland risks entrenching its dependence on single-use menstrual products, which ultimately undermines the environmental and social equity goals of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021. We are therefore calling for improved menstrual education and teacher training; inclusive procurement processes that reflect student preferences; better infrastructure to support reusable product use; and clearer signposting and more accessible distribution methods. This will help protect the dignity of everyone who menstruates and the sustainability of service provision, ensuring every student has real choices.