Across the globe, menstrual health and sanitation markets are already being reshaped by climate shocks, resource pressures, and environmental degradation. These markets are deeply connected to climate resilience, economic stability, and social equity. Building inclusive, climate-resilient systems is critical not only for environmental goals but also for ensuring equitable access to sanitation and menstrual health products and services.
The menstrual health (MH) value chain—from raw material sourcing to product disposal—is highly climate-sensitive. Raw materials like cotton, bamboo, and petrochemicals face volatility from droughts, floods, and other climate-driven agricultural shocks, affecting cost, availability, and quality. Manufacturing and distribution depend on water, energy, and transport systems, which are increasingly strained in climate-vulnerable regions. Climate conditions also impact product safety and usability, particularly for reusable products, while single-use items exacerbate waste challenges in overburdened sanitation systems. Yet the MH value chain offers opportunities for climate adaptation, including biobased and recycled materials, reusable products, circular design, local manufacturing, and innovative waste management solutions. A deliberate transition is needed to ensure markets are resilient, affordable, and climate-aligned.
Sanitation systems, especially non-sewered sanitation serving low-income households in many LMICs, are both highly vulnerable to climate pressures and rich in adaptation opportunities. Flooding, erosion, and rising groundwater compromise containment systems, while transport and treatment services struggle under extreme weather or supply disruptions. However, resilient containment designs, decentralized transfer hubs, modular treatment systems, and resource recovery solutions—such as compost, biogas, and treated water—can strengthen climate resilience, reduce emissions, and improve access to services.
Slow-onset climate changes, including rising temperatures, chronic water scarcity, and gradual groundwater shifts, further undermine affordability, reliability, and safety in both menstrual health and sanitation markets. These gradual pressures affect product choice, infrastructure longevity, and households’ ability to pay. Strengthening these markets therefore requires long-term adaptation to cumulative climate conditions, not only acute shocks.
Viewing sanitation and menstrual health through a climate lens reveals major opportunities for market development. Greener, circular, and low-emission products and systems, supported by strong policies, competitive private sectors, and sustainable financing, can reduce waste, emissions, and environmental impact across value chains. Governments set rules, enterprises innovate and deliver, and market facilitators like SHF catalyze systemic change through evidence generation, enabling environments, technical assistance, and investment mobilization.
SHF integrates climate resilience and circularity into all its menstrual health and sanitation market development work. Its approach focuses on building the business case for climate-aligned solutions, supporting enterprises, aligning policy and finance, and scaling resilient containment, climate-smart service models, sustainable product categories, and resource-recovery solutions. Climate-aligned sanitation and menstrual health systems benefit women, girls, and low-income communities disproportionately affected by climate change, while reinforcing gender equality, public health, productivity, and economic participation.
Dietske Simons, Head of Impact at SHF, and Regina Gallego Piñero, climate and environmental consultant, lead the strategic development of SHF’s climate and circularity initiatives, ensuring markets transition toward sustainable, resilient, and inclusive solutions.
