How Westminster is finally talking about toxic period products

By Ruby Raut, founder and CEO, WUKA

For years, campaigners, scientists, and brands like ours have been calling attention to a hidden issue: the chemicals, metals, and toxins found in everyday menstrual products.

At last, that conversation reached one of the most powerful rooms in the country.

In October 2025, the House of Lords hosted “Have We Reached the Tipping Point for Toxic Period Products?”, part of Environmenstrual Week led by the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN).

Bringing together politicians, scientists, NGOs, and advocates, the event asked one central question: if the evidence is already clear, what’s stopping us from protecting people who menstruate?

The Political Will Is Growing, Slowly

Baroness Natalie Bennett, former Green Party leader and long-time environmental campaigner, opened the event with characteristic honesty: progress in Westminster is real, but painfully slow.

She spoke candidly about the challenges of turning concern into regulation.

“Politics is a process, not an event,” she reminded the room. Amendments fail, votes are lost, and yet each attempt builds pressure for change.

Her remarks reflected the growing cross-party awareness that chemical safety in menstrual products is a public health issue, not a niche concern.

In the UK, these products are still classified as consumer goods, unlike in the US, where they fall under medical devices.

That distinction matters; it shapes what’s tested, what’s disclosed, and ultimately how safe products are allowed to be.

A Four-Year Window for Change

Bennett called the current moment a “rare window of opportunity.” With Emma Hardy now serving as Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs , there’s a chance to align environmental, health, and equality goals, something that hasn’t happened before.

She urged everyone in the room to act decisively over the next four years, while the government is receptive and the public momentum is strong.

This is a political sweet spot: the science is mounting, public awareness is rising, and even large brands can see that consumer trust depends on transparency.

Her message was clear: don’t let this window close without action.

Regulations for period products could mirror those for cosmetics or drinking water, where safe thresholds are continually lowered as research reveals new risks.

From Stigma to Policy

Bennett also reflected on how far the conversation has come.

She recalled going on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour in 2015 to talk about the tampon tax, when hearing party leaders say the word tampon on air was considered revolutionary.

A decade later, Westminster is not only saying the words but debating what’s inside those products.

For Bennett, normalising the language is part of dismantling the stigma. “Just use the words,” she said. “Put it out there.”

That cultural shift is as powerful as any policy change.

When menstruation is treated as a normal part of life, not a taboo, it becomes easier to discuss safety, sustainability, and rights — openly and without shame.

Coalition Building: The Real Engine of Progress

One of the most practical takeaways from the session was Bennett’s emphasis on coalition-building.

Regulation won’t happen through Parliament alone; it needs the force of public demand.

She pointed to the Women’s Institute, which has already campaigned for over a decade on microplastics, and encouraged collaboration with trade unions, community organisations, and campaign groups like WEN, PAN UK, and Natracare.

Her point was simple: the communities most affected by chemical exposure — lower-income groups, industrial workers, those living near polluted areas — are often least represented in policy rooms.

Building a coalition across environmental, feminist, and labour movements is how systemic change takes root.

Momentum, Awareness, and Responsibility

The House of Lords event marked a shift from awareness to accountability.

After years of grassroots activism and scientific evidence,  from toxic metal testing to pesticide exposure studies, the discussion has finally reached the people who can make change possible.

For those of us in the menstrual equity movement, the message was energising. We’ve come a long way since the days when period poverty was barely discussed, let alone period safety.

But as Bennett reminded everyone, politics moves at a glacial pace, and every window of opportunity must be used wisely.

Change won’t come from Parliament alone.

It will come from pressure, from consumers, campaigners, and companies who believe that safe periods are a basic human right.

Learn more about WUKA at wuka.co.uk