2024-07-29 22:55:46
Many Canadian women spend hundreds of dollars each year on tampons and sanitary pads, and women complain the cost is mounting. Observers say this is the result of the market being “locked in” by large companies.
Toronto resident Katherine Pryszlak noted that it’s very expensive and the price has gone up significantly. She said she sometimes provides free tampons from the gym to cut costs.
Summer Tanhehco, another resident interviewed by Radio-Canada, said that my mother buys big bags of stuff at Costco and stock up whenever there is a sale.
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Toronto resident Katherine Pryszlak said she spends about $20 on menstrual products every four to eight weeks.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Toronto resident Amanda Ashford said she can afford menstrual products. But she says if we want equality between men and women, these items should be subsidized or free.
According to Statistics Canada:
The price of personal care products, including menstrual products, increased by 3% between June 2023 and June 2024.
Back in 2019, the Canadian Public Health Association estimated that women would spend an average of $6,000 on disposable menstrual products over their lifetime.
Lack of competition?
Professor Jean-Luc Geha, deputy director of the Sales Institute of HEC Montreal Business School, said that there are three main factors responsible for the increase in menstrual product prices in recent years.
He first cited the sharp increase in the price of raw materials such as paper and cotton used to make these products.
He added that the menstrual products market is dominated by a handful of manufacturers, especially Procter & Gamble, which owns popular brands Tampax and Always.
As long as there isn’t a lot of competition, we’ll always see prices go up.
Quote by Jean-Luc Geha, professor of marketing at HEC Montreal Business School
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Jean-Luc Geha, deputy director of the sales institute at Montreal’s HEC business school, said there is a lack of competition in the menstrual products industry. (Archived photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Denis Wong
He compared the situation to that of cell phone plans and air tickets, industries that lack competition in Canada. This, he believes, contributes to high prices.
According to data from the US consulting firm MarketsandMarkets, P&G holds more than 20% of the market share in the global feminine hygiene products industry..
However, the market remains very competitive and the products are affordable, said Indian marketing group Mordor Intelligence, which listed Unicharm, Kimberly-Clark, Johnson & Johnson and Essity as other suppliers.
Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark, which sells Kotex brand products, did not respond to requests for comment.
To explain the rising prices for menstrual products, Professor Geha also pointed to Ottawa’s policy of making these products free and subject to federal regulation in public buildings and workplaces, a move he said has significantly increased demand and exacerbated price pressures.
Employment and Social Development Canada responded that the government does not have data to show that this new measure, which will take effect on December 15, 2023, will have an impact on the sales price of menstrual products in Canada.
Price is difficult to lower
Citron Hygiène Canada marketing director Krista Plewes welcomed the federal free initiative. Please note that companies that distribute menstrual products to employers such as CBC/Radio-Canada and public venues will benefit from this measure.
However, Ms. Plevis agreed with Professor Geha on competition and pricing, arguing that giants Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark set the pace.
Competition is increasing, but smaller players may struggle to compete on price.
Quote from Krista Plewes, Head of Marketing, Citron Hygiene
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Krista Plewes of supplier Citron Hygiene encourages more employers to provide free menstrual products. (Archived photo)
Photo: Courtesy of Citron Hygiene
Smaller manufacturers of organic cotton products, for example, don’t have the same economies of scale as larger players, not to mention the higher cost of organic ingredients, she said.
Professor Geha added that small manufacturers must strike deals with distributors to sell their products in big-box stores such as Walmart. He noted that the distribution is quite complex.
In addition, Ms. Plewes pointed out that the price of rayon, a fiber used as an absorbent in tampons, has risen sharply during the epidemic but has not yet fully returned to normal levels as China’s manufacturing industry has been paralyzed.
Too expensive for some women
Ms. Plewes noted that nearly a quarter of menstruating women in Canada say they or their loved ones struggle to have enough money to buy menstrual products, citing a YouGov survey last year of 1,001 people aged 18 and older. Women surveyed) Online November 2023; margin of error 3.1%).
She said the price of feminine hygiene products is an issue faced by many young women aged 18 to 25. If menstrual products are available [gratuitement] In bathrooms, such as toilet paper and soap, there are no accessibility issues, she said.
Due to a lack of menstrual products, some women have turned to handkerchiefs or cloths. Dr. Catherine Rouleau, a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, said she sees a few cases like this among unfortunate patients every year.
If we use products of substandard quality and use them for too long, there are very obvious health risks.
Quotations from family physician Dr. Katherine Rouleau
This risk is called toxic shock syndrome and can lead to hospitalization or even death.
Dr Rouleau added that if we’re not well protected, if we don’t have the right hygiene products, that means blood can get into our clothes, which can be especially embarrassing at work or for teenagers who have just started their period.
Dr. Rouleau is pleased to see free menstrual products being distributed to high schools across Ontario. It’s the result of a partnership between the province and Shoppers Drug Mart, which launched in 2021 and was extended by another three years on Monday to provide 23 million free menstrual products valued at $8 million.
Ms Rouleau hopes to extend free access to more workplaces. For example, starting in 2025, construction sites in Ontario will be required to provide menstrual products to female workers.
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Is it free in Quebec?
In Quebec, MP Ruba Ghazal from Solidarity Québec is campaigning for free menstrual products in all public places, whether in schools, CEGEPs, universities, arenas or libraries.
Citing a 2020 survey conducted by Action for Women’s Health Quebec, she said that nearly 20% of women in Quebec already use alternatives such as toilet paper or paper towels due to the high cost of menstrual products.
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Quebec Solidaire MP Ruba Ghazal says menstrual products should be available for free in Quebec schools and sports venues. (Archived photo)
Photo: The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot
We didn’t come with soap or toilet paper [dans les salles de bain des institutions publiques]. Menstrual hygiene products should follow the same logic.
To quote Ruba Ghazal, a member of Quebec Solidaire
She urged Prime Minister Francois Legault’s government to fund a program to provide free menstrual products in public institutions. According to her, the annual cost is $26 million.
Member for Ghazal cited the example of Scotland in this regard.
Martine Biron, Quebec’s minister responsible for the status of women, did not want to be interviewed. His office responded by email saying that in addition to supporting awareness and information programs on menstrual irregularities, it has set up free initiatives for women in precarious situations.
In collaboration with Lounan Charpentier
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