Public policy and advocacy
Where we speak up, and where we do not
We argue in public for menstrual health. We do not lobby politicians, fund campaigns or employ lobbyists. This page draws the line between the two, because the difference matters.
Our position
Femieko does not engage in political lobbying. We make no financial contributions to political parties, candidates or campaigns, in any country. We do not employ or retain lobbyists, and we do not fund third parties to lobby on our behalf.
We do speak publicly about menstrual health, and we do try to change how institutions treat it. We think it is more honest to say both things on the same page than to claim we do nothing at all.
The distinction we work to
Two columns. Everything we do sits in one of them, and we do not blur the boundary when it suits us.
Political lobbying, we do not do this
- Approaching legislators or officials to influence the drafting of law or regulation
- Donations to parties, candidates or political campaigns
- Employing or retaining lobbyists
- Funding third parties to lobby for us
- Seeking regulatory advantage over competitors
Social advocacy, we do this openly
- Arguing that menstrual education belongs in schools
- Arguing that menstrual products should be available in schools, workplaces and public buildings, the way soap and paper are
- Raising awareness of conditions such as endometriosis that are routinely diagnosed late
- Working with organisations on period poverty and on violence against women
- Making educational material free for anyone to use
Our principles when we do speak
- We say who we are. When Femieko takes a public position, we do it in our own name. We do not act through front organisations or unattributed campaigns.
- We use evidence we can show. Any factual claim we make in an advocacy context is one we can point to a source for, and we correct it publicly if it turns out to be wrong.
- We do not offer anything in return. No payments, no gifts, no hospitality, no facilitation payments to any public official or institution, ever, in any country.
- We separate donation from influence. Where we sponsor a school or support an organisation, that support does not come with an expectation that they will advocate for us.
- We stay inside our expertise. We speak about menstrual health, intimate care and the products we make. We do not take public positions on unrelated political questions.
- We keep it approved and recorded. Any public policy position is approved by the Administrator before it is taken, and recorded so it can be reviewed.
Why we bother writing this down
A brand that sponsors dispensers in schools and campaigns about menstrual health is doing something that looks like influence, because it is. Saying nothing about it would be the greater risk. The commitment is that it stays in the open, stays inside our subject, and never comes with money attached to a decision.
Where our advocacy actually happens
So that this page is checkable rather than declarative.
- Menstrual dispensers in schools, workplaces and institutions across several European countries, so that products are available where they are needed rather than carried in case.
- Teaching kits and free guides. Our Guide to the First Period is free to download and used in schools as basic material. Partner schools including Gymnasium Limmer in Hannover and Tårnby Junior High School in Denmark receive sponsored kits.
- Working with organisations rather than around them. FILIA on women’s safety, Iele Sânziene on access to products, SAMAS on support for new mothers, and the Danish Cancer Society through Pink Saturday 2025. All are listed on our partnerships page.
- Normalising the conversation through corporate events, workshops with health professionals and educational projects.
Memberships
We are not a member of any organisation that conducts political lobbying on our behalf. If that changes, this page will say so.
