Lidl

LIDL

Combatting Period Poverty

Lidl Ireland’s ‘Combatting Period Poverty with Dignity’ campaign is the world’s first period poverty initiative run by a retailer, which involved distributing free period products in stores nationwide

Jennifer Kitson (Simon Community) Carla Rowe (LGFA player) Aoife Clarke (Lidl) Claire Hunt (Homeless Period Ireland)

Period poverty–the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand washing facilities, and/or waste management—is a growing issue in Ireland, particularly since the onset of the pandemic. A Plan International study on young females in Ireland found that almost 50 per cent of girls aged between 12 and 19 found it difficult to pay for sanitary products.

Lidl Ireland’s ‘Combatting Period Poverty with Dignity’ campaign—which involved distributing free period products in stores nationwide—is the world’s first period poverty initiative run by a retailer. The campaign was designed to distribute products, reduce the stigma of periods, and highlight the need for change at government level. Aligning Lidl at the forefront of societal change, the campaign earned national and international praise, catapulting the issue into the public forum and making Lidl synonymous with support for female and societal issues.

Speaking about the campaign, Senior Communications Manager for Lidl Eimear O’Sullivan says, “At Lidl, we were closely watching progress of the issue in New Zealand and Scotland and monitoring the progress of legislation in Ireland. In learning more about period poverty, and as one of the biggest retailers in the country, we felt we could a real impact on this key issue that’s affecting society and the communities we operate in.” PARTNER ORGANISATION “When devising this campaign, we wanted to partner with a credible organisation who could help us effectively drive the message and ensure that all activity was impactful. Claire Hunt from Homeless Period Ireland was an invaluable source of support in helping us bring this campaign to life. The response was absolutely phenomenal.”

The first six months of the campaign saw Lidl donate more than 80,000 period products – 65,000 of those through the Lidl Plus app – “the highest redemption of any offer we’ve ever seen,” notes O’Sullivan. The remaining

AT LIDL, WE HAVE THE SCALE TO REACH COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND REALLY AREN’T AFRAID TO BACK ISSUES AND CHALLENGE THE NORM

product is distributed through a donation programme to the Simon Community and Lidl’s partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association. “At Lidl, we have the scale to reach communities across the country, and really aren’t afraid to back issues and challenge the norm to build a better workplace, a better environment and ultimately a better society for us all.”

Speaking about the campaign Claire Hunt, CEO of Homeless Period Ireland commented: “Lidl’s support for eliminating Period Poverty in Ireland has created a lightning rod of conversation across the media, political sphere and indeed across the country. Over half of all Irish adults are aware of Lidl’s campaign which launched last year. This means that one in every two people know the issues that we face when it comes to accessing period products in Ireland for those who are struggling.”