For years, Aunt Flow has been saying it: toilet paper is offered for free in bathrooms. Why aren’t tampons and pads?®
Now, a new international workplace standard is helping bring period care into the occupational health and safety conversation.
In September 2026, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 45010:2026, Occupational health and safety management — Menstruation and menopause in the workplace — Guidance.
The new standard provides guidance for organizations looking to better support employees experiencing menstruation and menopause at work. It applies to organizations of all sizes and sectors and addresses everything from workplace culture and policies to physical facilities and workplace design.
What does ISO 45010 say about period products?
One of the most notable recommendations is also one of the simplest: workplaces should provide easy and complimentary access to menstrual products.
Employers, facility managers, architects and workplace leaders are increasingly treating period care as part of creating a supportive workplace environment, not simply as an optional bathroom amenity.
The guidance also addresses hygiene management and menstrual product disposal. It recommends safe and hygienic disposal for menstrual products in toilet and changing facilities, along with access to appropriate hygiene facilities.
Importantly, ISO 45010 is guidance, not a law or regulatory mandate. Organizations are not automatically legally required to implement these recommendations simply because ISO has published the standard. Instead, ISO standards provide internationally agreed best practices that organizations can use to shape policies, facilities and occupational health and safety programs.
Get a free ISO 45010 assessment & quote for period care solutions.
Making complimentary period care practical
Putting the guidance into practice does not need to be complicated.
Aunt Flow was built specifically to help organizations provide freely accessible period products in bathrooms.
Our free-vend tampon and pad dispensers allow workplaces to stock period products in the bathrooms where people need them. That means employees don’t have to carry change, find a vending machine or leave the bathroom when they unexpectedly get their period.
Organizations can choose from wall-mounted and recessed dispensers, countertop solutions and other configurations depending on their bathroom design and traffic. Aunt Flow dispensers can be stocked with organic cotton tampons and pads, making it simple for facilities teams to maintain a consistent period care program across a workplace.
For organizations designing or renovating facilities, Aunt Flow also provides spec sheets and architect design files to help incorporate ISO standard aligned period care, directly into bathroom planning.
The goal is simple: when someone gets their period at work, the product they need should be accessible when they need it.
Don’t forget about disposal
ISO 45010 also recognizes the importance of safe and hygienic menstrual product disposal. This matters for the person using the bathroom and for the facilities and janitorial teams responsible for maintaining it.
Aunt Flow offers a complete menstrual product disposal system designed to make disposal cleaner and easier. This disposal solution is aligned with ISO 45010.
Solutions include:
- Disposal Bag Dispensers that can be installed inside individual bathroom stalls
- Plant-based disposal bags sized for menstrual products
- Signage and educational resources to encourage proper disposal and reduce flushing
Period products should not be flushed down the toilet. Providing an intuitive disposal option where products are actually used can help create a more hygienic bathroom experience while reducing unnecessary plumbing issues.
A comprehensive period care program should consider the entire experience: access, use and disposal.
ISO 45010 goes beyond periods
While period care is particularly relevant to our work at Aunt Flow, ISO 45010 has a broader purpose.
The standard also provides guidance for supporting employees experiencing perimenopause and menopause.
ISO recognizes that workplace environments can affect how people experience symptoms, so it recommends organizations consider practical adjustments involving workplace design, policies, management practices and workplace culture.
Examples the guidance covers include: temperature and ventilation, access to quieter areas, lighting, uniforms and work clothing, hygiene facilities, privacy, flexible workplace practices, manager awareness, and reducing stigma around menstruation and menopause.
The larger takeaway is important: menstrual and menopausal health belong in conversations about workplace health, safety and wellbeing.
What should employers do next?
ISO 45010 gives organizations an opportunity to take a fresh look at their workplaces.
Start with the bathroom.
- Are tampons and pads easily accessible to employees?
- Are they complimentary (ie. no coin-operated mechanisms)?
- Can someone access a product without leaving the bathroom to ask a coworker or search for supplies?
- Is there a safe, hygienic way to dispose of the product inside the restroom?
Then look more broadly at workplace policies and facilities. Consider whether your workplace environment gives employees experiencing menstrual or menopausal symptoms reasonable ways to manage their needs comfortably and privately.
ISO 45010 does not create a universal legal requirement to provide period products. But it does something important: it establishes internationally agreed workplace guidance that explicitly recognizes menstrual and menopausal health as an occupational health and workplace consideration.
For the menstrual movement, that’s a meaningful step forward.
Ready to align your workplace with the new guidance?
Aunt Flow helps organizations build period care programs that make complimentary products and hygienic disposal easy to implement and maintain.
From free-vend tampon and pad dispensers to in-stall disposal solutions, we can help you evaluate your bathrooms and determine the right solution for your workplace.
Get a free ISO 45010 assessment & quote for period care solutions.
