Achieving Goals in Just 2 Weeks with PR Support! Introducing Daio Paper’s SDGs Project Supporting the Global “Period Poverty” Issue

Hello. I’m Michishita from Division 1, Public Relations Business Headquarters at SUNNY SIDE UP.

Have you ever heard the term “period poverty”?

It refers to the inability to adequately purchase menstrual products due to economic reasons, and in recent years, it has been recognized as a serious social issue not only in developing countries but also in developed nations.

The period poverty issue is included in SDG Goal 5: “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls.” In recent years, legal reforms providing free menstrual products and reduced tax rates have been implemented overseas, and in Japan, the problem has become more visible as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of people facing economic hardship.

Initiatives are spreading, including TV programs where celebrities discuss menstruation and learn about the latest menstrual products, local governments providing free menstrual products to schools, and companies launching support projects.

Today, we introduce Daio Paper’s “Heart Support” project, for which SUNNY SIDE UP handled the announcement PR and which achieved its goal in just 2 weeks from launch.

■ Daio Paper’s SDGs “Period Poverty” Support Project

Daio Paper, which operates “Elleair,” Japan’s leading brand of sanitary paper products, has been running the “Heart Support” project to support girls around the world since International Day of the Girl Child in October 2018, coinciding with the launch of the menstrual product “Elis Compact Guard.”

“Heart Support” is a project that aims to contribute to SDG Goal 5: “Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls,” as well as Goal 3: “Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-being for All at All Ages” and Goal 4: “Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All.” It provides opportunities to think about and take action on the environment surrounding girls worldwide.

The third iteration, “Heart Support 2021,” launched on February 1 of this year, supports girls in the Republic of Zambia through “cloth napkin production support” and “community space establishment” in cooperation with the NPO AMDA-MINDS.

Zambia, the recipient of this support, is a region where approximately 200,000 people live under harsh conditions facing various challenges.

Many girls cannot easily purchase sanitary napkins and resort to using unsanitary substitutes such as old clothes or newspaper, leading to problems such as infections.

Additionally, schools lack toilets or have toilets without locks that cannot ensure privacy, making it impossible to change menstrual products. As a result, it is said that approximately 1 in 10 girls miss school.

■ “Heart Support 2021” Participation Through Social Media Action

The “Heart Support 2021” mechanism works as follows: when someone posts on Twitter with the hashtag “#ハートサポート” sharing their thoughts about the project or messages to Zambia, the production cost of one cloth napkin is supported for each post.

By having local girls produce, distribute, and sell cloth napkins, the project creates an environment where girls from impoverished families can repeatedly use menstrual products and generates income opportunities.

The community space serves not only for the production, distribution, and sale of cloth napkins but also as a place to provide knowledge about health and sexuality, including menstruation.

To raise awareness about the situation in Zambia, manga depicting the menstruation-related concerns of local girls was published through the special website and social media.

SUNNY SIDE UP disseminated information to the media simultaneously with the project launch.

The project was featured in various media outlets, particularly those specializing in SDGs and social issues, as well as web media covering African topics. It was also introduced on our company’s “SDGs MAGAZINE.”

Supporting the Solution to “Period Poverty” Through Social Media Action: What is the “Heart Support 2021” Project?
https://sdgsmagazine.jp/2021/02/17/1084/
*”SDGs MAGAZINE” is an online magazine that disseminates information and messages about corporate and organizational SDGs-related activities, making SDGs “easy to understand.”

With the support of many people, the goal of 3,000 tweets was achieved in just 2 weeks, and support for the production of 3,000 cloth napkins was confirmed.

■ Expanding Highly Designed Napkins That Change the Concept of Menstrual Products

In addition to supporting the “period poverty” issue, Daio Paper has been selling highly designed menstrual napkins to help people spend their menstrual period—a time when both mind and body tend to be unstable—with a brighter mood. In July 2020, three simple brown designs were released under “Elis Skin Feeling,” and in April 2021, six vibrant designs in collaboration with photographer and film director Mika Ninagawa were released under “Compact Guard.”

The company supports women who continue to challenge themselves.

“Heart Support 2021” special website: https://www.elleair.jp/hs/