Unlocking the opportunity in the Pacific menstrual health market: Lessons learned from a workshop of menstrual health actors working in the Asia-Pacific region

From Pacific Readiness for Investment in Social Enterprise (Pacific RISE). The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has completed an extensive research, engagement and outreach process to determine the potential of a menstrual health market (the market) across the Pacific Island countries. In September 2018 the Criterion Institute, supported by DFAT and Pacific RISE, facilitated a four-day workshop in Melbourne, Australia. The workshop brought together a diverse range of social and business actors focused on improving menstrual health management in the Asia-Pacific region to understand and overcome inefficiencies and obstacles in the menstrual health market across the region. This report presents lessons learned from menstrual health actors working in the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the local context of island-based nations. The first of its kind, it should be read as a unique case-study that captures the specific menstrual health challenges faced by countries with dispersed populations across large geographic locations with limited income and commercial access. It explores how innovative investment can be a means of facilitating a new market opportunity, enabling improved access to necessary healthcare products, and support venture creation for women-led businesses.