A new ISO standard for menstrual products is underway, aiming to harmonize safety, performance, and general requirements across countries. The working group, which started in 2022, has grown significantly and is now tackling the challenge of aligning diverse national regulations and perspectives to create a globally relevant standard.
Mr. S Sivakumar is leading the Working Group 1 of ISO/TC338 titled “Safety, Performance and General Requirements of Menstrual Products” and this group is currently working on drafting a standard covering general and safety requirements and we asked him how the work is proceeding?
– It is a pleasure to be the convener of this working group, and it is, of course, for a good cause. So, I feel happy to be part of this group. It was initiated back in 2022 with only a few members— around 16—but now we have more people joining. Now, we have close to 130 members in the group from about 30 different countries across the globe.
So far, we have conducted about 13 working group meetings. We are actively seeking input from more members. This working group has earlier submitted a new work item proposal titled “Menstrual products:General and safety requirements” which has been approved by TC338. We are currently working on drafting the standard. We have also participated in the informational webinars organized by the TC 338 for disseminating the news about this draft standard to various stakeholders. That is the progress we are making. With more members joining us on a regular basis, we are also trying to align with all countries and bring out a useful and inclusive standard.
What are the biggest challenges in unifying all the countries and experts, in your opinion?
– I think the manufacturing setup and ecosystem are quite diverse across different countries. In some places, menstrual products are treated as medical devices or quasi-drugs, while in others, they are not. So, the regulatory frameworks, levels of understanding, and requirements in national standards vary significantly from country to country.
There are challenges in achieving consensus among all participants, but we are committed to hearing all voices, in line with ISO’s policy. We always strive to ensure that everyone is heard and to reach a consensus.
But are there significant differences in how the standard should be written? Can you give examples of that?
– Yes, there are differences. Some countries already have national standards in place for menstrual products, and many of them write standards product-wise. That’s their approach. But from an ISO perspective, we are aiming to create a standard that focuses on general and safety requirements of all the different types of menstrual products viz., Externally worn, Internally worn, single use and multiple use, etc..
Performance standards may follow later. I think that’s the major difference between national standards and the ISO standard currently being developed. Also, adopting ISO standards is voluntary, whereas national standards may be mandatory, which can lead to further differences.
What is the next big step for this working group from now on?
– The next major step is to resolve all the comments received during the voting process for the new project proposal and to register a committee draft. This is what we plan to accomplish in the coming six months. Thank you.
If you are interested in becoming a member, you can reach out to your National Standards Body or if you have any questions or need more information, please contact Ms Jenny Acaralp, Committee Manager: [email protected]