Major tampon makers pledge to tackle US shortages

To help alleviate shortages in the country, major tampon makers in the United States have agreed to produce more sanitary goods.

One company informed the BBC that the epidemic had resulted in employee shortages at its facilities.

Users have been sharing their stories on social media about their struggles to get sanitary items.

One Reddit user stated they went to eight places before deciding to buy tampons with a cardboard applicator online “for a substantial mark-up.”

It comes as the cost of raw ingredients for sanitary goods rises due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The shortfall is also raising fears that supply chain disruptions will drive up the cost of critical items around the world.

Edgewell Personal Care, which makes Playtex and o.b. tampons, said its stock has been “affected due to extensive workforce shortages caused by two separate Omicron surges in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively,” according to a spokesperson.

“We’ve been working around the clock to replenish inventories at our manufacturing plants, and we expect to be back to normal in the coming weeks,” the representative continued.

Meanwhile, Tampax tampon maker Procter & Gamble (P & G) claimed in a statement that it was “working aggressively to ramp up production.”

“We can tell you that this is a transitory situation,” the company, which sells over 4.5 billion packs of tampons each year, stated.

Purchasing raw materials for tampons, such as cotton and plastic, has been “costly and highly variable,” according to P & G’s chief financial officer, Andre Schulten, during a recent earnings call.

“It is critical for folks to purchase only what they require at this time.” I’m not a supply chain specialist, but we know that some of the early pandemic shortages we all faced were caused by hoarding “, according to Elise Joy, co-founder and executive director of the American charity Girls Helping Girls Period.

According to a spokesman for Walgreens, the company is “experiencing some temporary brand-specific tampon shortages in some locations.”

“While we will continue to have products on the shelf and online while we handle the supply disruption, it may only be for particular brands,” the representative noted.