Kenya Chosen to Lead Global Push for Safer Menstrual Products
By Editorial Team.
NAIROBI, June 26, 2026 — Kenya has been selected as a pilot country in the development of the world’s first International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards for menstrual products, placing the country at the forefront of efforts to improve the quality, safety and dignity of menstrual health products.
The initiative comes as global experts work to establish international standards that will guide the production and regulation of menstrual products, including sanitary pads. Stakeholders say quality menstrual products are not a luxury but a basic requirement for protecting the health, safety and dignity of women and girls.
As part of the process, an implementing team drawn from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) conducted an assessment of Kenya’s laboratory capacity.
The team toured the KEBS Textile, Microbiology, Organic and Inorganic laboratories to evaluate their readiness to support the implementation of the new standards once they are published and adopted in Kenya.
At the same time, the visit provided an opportunity for the international experts and KEBS officials to identify areas of collaboration that will strengthen the country’s ability to enforce the new standards across the menstrual products value chain.
Kenya’s selection as a pilot country also reflects growing confidence in its standards infrastructure and gives the country a key role in shaping international guidelines that are expected to improve the quality and safety of menstrual products globally.
Once adopted, the ISO standards are expected to help manufacturers produce safer and more reliable menstrual products while giving consumers greater confidence that the products meet internationally recognized quality requirements.
