Starbucks said the move represents a first for the UK coffee shop market | Photo credit: Starbucks

Starbucks has partnered with sustainable period care brand Time of the Month to provide free period products at work for its UK employees. 
 

In a press release, Starbucks said the move represented a first for the UK coffee shop market and will help improve period dignity in the workplace. 

The coffee chain has introduced the initiative following feedback from its Women’s Impact Network, a group of 140 employees seeking to empower women to feel confident in the workplace. The move forms part of wider company efforts to normalise periods, Starbucks added. 

Time of the Month research found that 80% of women and people with periods are concerned about periods at work, with 76% finding it disruptive to their working day. 

The company, which has donated more than 107,500 period products since 2016, said it hopes its Starbucks partnership will ‘inspire other companies to be bold and do the same’. 

“The difference that providing free sanitary products can make to our partner’s experience at work is staggering, helping to improve accessibility for all and remove anxieties we know many people face around periods, especially when at work. We’d love to see others in the industry take a similar stance and work towards eradicating period poverty across the UK,” said Holly Clarke, Chair, Starbucks Women’s Impact Network EMEA. 

Other Starbucks initiatives aimed at improving employee well-being include free food and beverages while on shift, free access to the mindfulness Headspace app and interest-free loans to cover the costs of a rental deposit when moving home, which can be paid back over a 12-month period. 

World Coffee Portal research found Starbucks added 67 new stores across the UK in 2022 to reach 1,156, making it the second largest coffee chain in the UK by outlets behind Costa Coffee's 2,694 outlets.