Since it is the only social enterprise donating 100% of its profits to the mission of ending period poverty in the UK, it would be fair to say that Hey Girls CIC is revolutionising periods. Starting out as many great social enterprises do – from the home of somebody incredibly passionate about a cause – Hey Girls has grown considerably in less than six years, and today provides vital period products for the likes of schools and councils, as well as construction and healthcare organisations, all to name just a few. Most Dedicated Period Poverty Eradication Enterprise 2024 & Period Health Education Advocates of the Year 2024 A female-led social enterprise leveraging a unique ‘buy one, donate one’ business model, Hey Girls ensures that its period products are distributed across the UK. It achieves this through its more than 400-strong network of national community partners, individuals who serve on the frontline and help with access to both period products and education. Thanks to these team members, Hey Girls is constantly working towards its three-fold mission of ending period poverty, improving access to quality products, education, and eradicating period stigma. In addition to these aims, Hey Girls is an operation with community interest at its core, and this is why it always puts people and purpose first. From working with mainly female suppliers who employ local staff and utilise local materials, to ensuring that every supplier in its network adheres to the highest standards of sustainable and ethical practice – its products are all PFOS/PFOA/ PFCS free, OEKO TEX, and Global Organic Textile Standard – the team here are ushering in positive, industry-wide changes and nurturing a lasting impact. the likes of its Period Products Act 2021, the first of its kind in the world. A proud Scottish enterprise through and through, Hey Girls makes effective use of the services of Social Enterprise Scotland, as well as maximising the resources available to it, including the Scottish Government’s Social Enterprise Action Plan. Thus, with the whole country behind it, Hey Girls’ reach is continuing to rapidly expand. Not only is this social enterprise focusing on scaling up its operation, but it is also working tirelessly on bringing new, sustainable period products and dispensing solutions to workplaces. Its latest release in this field is the new Free Vend Unit, a wall-mounted dispenser offering free access to products at any time, with no barriers. Containing enough space for Hey Girls’ award-winning tampons and period pads, this sleek dispenser is available in five colours and has been designed to be both user-friendly and easy to maintain. Be it the sloped top for convenient cleaning, the hinged opening making refilling easy, the restock indicator ensuring supplies never run out, or the paper bag tray encouraging those who access these supplies to dispose of used period products responsibly, Hey Girls’ Free Vend Unit is as innovative as it is refreshingly simple. The best thing about this product is that every purchase of it generates donations, so discerning businesses are both championing period dignity in their workplaces whilst simultaneously giving back. As touched on above, Hey Girls is just as passionate about period education as it is the products themselves, and this is why its team actively promotes and facilitates period education in the workplace. Partner businesses of this enterprise can enjoy training delivered directly to their staff, promoting discourses around what is still a taboo subject and contributing to more inclusive, understanding working environments for all. Educating as many as possible is therefore one of the operation’s priorities as we move into 2025 and beyond. “Our goal is to foster period dignity and equity via our partners, ensuring that individuals in education, workplaces, and from all communities have unhindered access to period products – free from barriers or judgment.” Partnering with over 700 businesses, Hey Girls CIC is both championing sustainable period products and helping businesses reach their corporate social responsibility goals. Regardless of industry or setting, this is an enterprise determined to grant barrierfree access to period care whenever it is needed, be it for staff, customers, pupils, patients, or other groups. Having donated more than 40 million period products to date and helped countless others through the likes of the Free Vend Unit, this is an operation worthy of these awards. Nov24283 Hey Girls CIC Contact: [email protected] Company: Hey Girls CIC Web Address: www.heygirls.co.uk Bolstering it in these aims is that Scotland is a country likewise committed to putting an end to period poverty, as seen through
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