2023 Impact Report
Thank you.
Thank you.
Why have we been using the
absorb up to 6 pads of flow and
same disposable products for
lasts up to several years, replacing
the past 100 years that most
hundreds of pads.
people can’t access? That was
2020 was an unprecedented year. From wild
the question we asked ourselves
Australiathis andisour Pacific Northwest to a pan Friends, why single-use
in 2018 when we launched Saalt
products most of the world circumstan ability to that adjust to ever-changing
living across the globe, this year has taught
with the dream of ending global
Gates Foundation reported that in just 25 w can’t access and that generate
period poverty.
200,000 metric tons ofhit waste years.” That regression hardest for our ov
from poverty alleviation to women’s equality
the social and economicsolution. toll of the pandemi annually are a band-aid
in domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and re
Sixty-two percent of the
The answer to ending period for true women and girls.
menstruating world lacks basic
poverty is in long-lasting, reusable
access to safe and reliable period
products. current events? You keep to your mission to
care, causing girls to drop out of school and hindering economic progress for women. Though well intended, too many organizations and aid groups have tackled the issue through donations of singleuse disposable products. Here’s the problem. One box of
How do you move forward with optimism in
and adapt. We started 2020 with plans to fu around the globe and travel to support inter Inplans 2023, we’reshifted thrilledtotorespond to the most quickly ing wildfire containment and advocates for r announce that we hit the biggest period care to active duty military members firefighters, providers workin milestone in and our health impactcare program and lives. We donated over 12,000 menstrua history: 100,000 Saaltreproductive products health cla 34 countries, moved over 11,000 days of school for girls in need. W donated in 50 countries! to create high-quality antibacterial masks fo hygiene needs who helped distribute them t often you, at theSaalt highest risk because Thank community, for of the lack both PPE and healthcare.
joining your hearts and passion
pads donated to a girl covers
Eachours success wasus enabled with to help reach and this magnified by
her for one period cycle. One
momentous underservedmilestone. communities around the world
menstrual cup, in contrast, covers her for up to 10 years. (And stress
who reached out to help identify needs and Our deepest thanks,
Onward!
tests have shown our premium silicone Saalt Cups can actually last 4 times longer.) One pair of 1
Saalt period underwear can also
Cherie Hoeger CEO & Impact Director
Cherie Hoeger | CEO & Impact Director
Danielle Burden Corporate Resp
Contents
1 3 5 7
Letter from our CEO
2023 Impact Overview
Our Ethos Our Method Our Impact Pillars
Saalt’s Global Partnerships
9 19
29 35
Menstrual Health Venezuela Donation Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation Lahaina Donation The Flow
Education Her International Style Her Empowered (SHE) TabuTabu Honduras Child Alliance Karat School Project
Sustainability Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i rePurpose Global
Support & Initiatives Tampon Tax Back Saalt Travel Kit Faces of Hope
Cover photograph by Kurandza. Photography contributed by Julie Gascon, DROTY, Alonso Garcia, Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation, Alani Calip, The Flow, WISER, TabuTabu, Karat School Project, rePurpose Gobal, Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i, Jurada Studio, Faces of Hope. Designed by Alani Calip. Written by Payton McGriff and Rachel Axtman.
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Here’s What We Accomplished Together in 2023:
48,693
106,619
Saalt Products Donated
Periods Served
271,800
94,243
Days of School Funded
Pounds of Cleanup Funded
5,251,136
397,871
Waste Diverted
Plastic Water Bottles Repurposed 4
Our Ethos At Saalt, we believe that people empowered to live their best lives can change the world. Saalt commits 2% of our revenue to donate period care to areas with the most need and help fund initiatives in education, empowerment, and sustainability.
Our Method Empower and equip. These are ambitious words that encapsulate a holistic strategy to improve menstrual health on a greater level than just donating products. We do this by training in-country staff to ensure menstrual health and hygiene education and mentorship are offered with every product donation, both to those receiving our products and their communities.
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Our Impact Pillars Through our impact pillars, we seek to use our funds in the most mindful way to create lasting change.
MENSTRUAL HEALTH Everyone should have the right to a safe and dignified period. We empower individuals with knowledge and long-term solutions to improve their menstrual health. This important work increases gender equality and starts conversations that bring awareness and break down social stigmas.
EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT Access to period care keeps girls in school, breaking the cycle of poverty for generations. When women empowered by education lift their families and invest back into their local economy, they bring change to entire communities. To help enable this transformational change, we equip people with safe and reliable period care and fund girls’ educational scholarships and workforce development for women.
SUSTAINABILITY Every consumer who chooses reusables saves thousands of single-use period products from our landfills and oceans. We provide consumers with sustainable solutions to decrease waste through product design that is healthy for both body and planet, and by funding direct cleanup efforts. 6
CANADA
ENGLAND
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ITALY
The Flow
GREECE
BAHAMAS
When We Ba
Equality Bahamas
ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES GUATEMALA
GUINEA-BISSAU
CÔTE D’IVOIR
Real Imprints
Action Guinea Bissau
The Karat Project
VENEZUELA
HONDURAS
LIBERIA
NICARAGUA
Youth Dream for Constructive Achievement
Project Pajaro Mujeres Que Mueven
TOGO
GHANA
COSTA RICA
Rhoda
NIGERIA
COLOMBIA
HER Africa Ltd.
Casa La Mujer
PERU
Bright Minds Africa
BRAZIL
CAMEROON
Tabu Tabu
SOUTH AFRICA Eton College
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Saalt’s Global Reach
POLAND Volunteers for Ukraine UJ Students for Ukraine
ROMANIA Humans 4 Humans Ukraine
TURKEY
SYRIA
PAKISTAN
Shifa Clinic
HER Pakistan
Shifa Clinic
NEPAL
IRAQ Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation
E
Creating Possibilities Nepal
BANGLADESH
and Together
RE
ETHIOPIA
INDIA
Aerie Africa
CAMBODIA
PHILIPPINES
KENYA
SRI LANKA UGANDA
Tamil Community Center
TANZANIA MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE
Kurandza
AUSTRALIA
& New 2023 Partnerships
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2023 Project Highlights Menstrual Health
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Menstrual Health
“This donation was so meaningful to us because it directly affected members of our own family and their community. We always dreamed of making a tangible difference for the people whose need inspired the origin of Saalt, and this year, we were finally able to make that happen with our pad-replacement underwear that best served their needs.” —Cherie Hoeger, Saalt CEO & Co-founder 11
Venezuela
Saalt Wear for Venezuela Bringing the Saalt story
import into Venezuela, leaving
full circle with 2,500 pairs
people without safe and dignified
of Saalt Wear donated to
period care options.
Venezuela. This year, Saalt stepped up our Saalt started with a phone call
commitment to changing that
between Cherie and her aunt
by donating 2,500 pairs of Saalt
in Venezuela, where pads and
Wear to communities in Caracas
tampons hadn’t been available in
and the mountain town of Mérida,
stores for years. While the Saalt
where Cherie’s husband, Jon, was
story has continued to evolve
born and much of his extended
over the years, unfortunately,
family resides.
the circumstances in Venezuela have not. Period products are still extremely difficult to access and
2,500 pairs of Saalt Wear donated to women in Venezuela 12
Menstrual Health
Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation is a nonprofit committed to empowering the voices of refugee women in the Kurdistan region.
In a pioneering study, the Kurdish
the menstrual health gap in
Refugee Relief Foundation
a sustainable manner in the
(KRR) found that menstrual
Kurdistan region’s refugee camps.
health in refugee camps is regularly impacted by financial
In 2023, Saalt joined forces with
constraints, lack of accessibility,
KRR to donate 1,200 pairs of
and inconsistent support and
Saalt Wear to help bridge this
distributions. Through their
accessibility gap for 400 women
adaptive and human-centered
inside the Bardarash camp.
approach, KRR has become the first nonprofit to address
1,200 pairs of Saalt Wear donated to women in Kurdistan, Iraq 13
Iraq
“Saalt has helped our team further our mission of providing sustainable products and menstrual care for the women we work with in Kurdistan. Our team on the ground also conducted one-on-one counseling with women answering questions and providing information on menstrual hygiene and health.” —Sherin, KRR Co-founder 14
Menstrual Health
2,500 2,500 15
Saalt Cups donated pairs of Saalt Wear donated
United States
Lahaina Donation Maui Rapid Response, Kapuna Farms, Ma’i Movement Hawai’i In August 2023, wildfires
party to get donations quickly
devastated the Lahaina
out the door. One week later, 45
community on the island of
boxes of donations arrived safely
Maui. More than 100 community
in Maui.
members were lost in the fires, and thousands more lost their
Together with you and the quick
homes, their safety, and access to
efforts of volunteers at Maui
basic necessities including food,
Rapid Response, Kapuna Farms,
water, and period care.
and Ma’i Movement Hawai’i, you helped us distribute 2,500 Saalt
We asked for your help through
Cups and 2,500 pairs of Saalt
a Buy One, Give Two promotion
Wear — enough to support the
where one cup and pair of
entire menstruating population
underwear would be donated
of Lahaina.
with every order placed. In response, you placed orders,
This is the power of people
sent messages of support, added
coming together to do good.
donations to your purchases,
When we unite our collective
connected us with local boots-
efforts and influence to lift those
on-the-ground volunteers, and
in need, we can create tangible
showed up to our local packing
impact that changes the world.
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Menstrual Health
The Flow 1 in 4 teens in the United States
tampons. This leaves students
struggles to afford period
with unreliable access to period
products or cannot afford to
care on nights, weekends, and
purchase them at all. When
on breaks. And, it’s why reusable
schools do provide period care
period care is such an integral
support, it’s primarily in the
part of increasing menstrual
form of disposable pads and
equity. Enter: The Flow.
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United States
The Flow is the only non-profit in
culturally-specific and multilingual
California that focuses exclusively
education about menstrual cups.
on reusable menstrual products.
In 2023, we proudly partnered
(We’re thrilled to have another
with The Flow to provide an
organization in the reusables
inaugural donation of 250 cups
camp!) They work primarily
and can’t wait for the impact
with under-resourced Black and
we’ll create together with
Latina communities, offering
reusable products.
1 in 4 teens in the United States struggles to afford period products or cannot afford to purchase them at all
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Education
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Fighting Period Poverty in US Schools In 2023, Saalt dedicated a
By providing reusable period
large portion of our impact to
products at no cost to schools,
addressing period poverty in
we aim to not only alleviate
US schools.
immediate financial burdens, but also to introduce a long-term,
In a recent study, two-thirds of
eco-friendly intervention to
teens in the US reported feeling
combat period poverty.
stressed due to lack of access to menstrual products in their
As a certified B Corp, we believe
school. Recognizing the pressing
that businesses can play a pivotal
need to address this issue, Saalt
role where public services may
is committed to ensuring that
fall short. By offering reusable
no student is hindered in their
alternatives, we not only reduce
education due to a lack of access
the environmental impact
to menstrual care. This year, we
of disposable products but
donated 3,087 pairs of Saalt Wear
also empower students with
and 637 Saalt Cups to 25 schools
knowledge about sustainable
across the United States. The vast
choices early in life. As we look
majority of these products will
to the future, we’re leaning into
reach students in Title 1 schools.
our mission of building a world where everyone can have a safe, dignified period.
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Education
HER International & Style Her Empowered (SHE) Creating opportunity through
girls from attending school,
education for girls globally.
Saalt funds 1,510 scholarships for girls annually in rural Nepal and
According to UNICEF, 129 million
Togo through our long-standing
girls around the world are
partners, HER International and
currently not in school. To remove
Style Her Empowered (SHE).
the financial barriers preventing
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Rural Nepal & Togo
In the rural town of Dang, Nepal,
electricity to her neighborhood.
HER International’s scholarship
This year, Elolo’s story came full
recipients are taught to be
circle when she was promoted
leaders in their own lives and in
to Assistant Director of SHE
their community as part of their
Togo and coordinated education
She Creates program, where
sponsorships for 1,500 girls
girls learn entrepreneurship,
across 21 rural villages where
communication, planning, and
roughly 70% of families live below
healthy emotional skills through
$1.90 per day.
hands-on, active learning methods. After five years of partnership with SHE in Togo, Africa, we
“Elolo’s story is a
have the honor of watching our
powerful reminder that
scholarship recipients flourish
when girls and women
into empowered young women
rise, we all rise.”
who are creating change in their own communities. One SHE graduate, Elolo, is a powerful example of that.
—Fawziyat Sani, Global Communications Director of SHE
Elolo graduated high school in 2021 and immediately joined the SHE staff as the Impact Coordinator. Through her employment, she rebuilt her family home and brought
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Education
TabuTabu & Honduras Child Alliance Honduras Child Alliance (HCA) provides educational enrichment and healthy living programs to children, teens, and adults in El Porvenir, Atlantida, Honduras. TabuTabu drives positive social change in Rio de Janeiro by teaching people to engage in healthy relationships with themselves and others.
After fine-tuning our joint
Strong grassroots partnerships like
partnership through successful
these have taught us that ongoing
pilot programs and cup trainings
support and conversations that
in 2021 and 2022, we scaled
normalize sexual and reproductive
our efforts with Honduras Child
health are an essential part of
Alliance and TabuTabu in 2023 by
successful community programs.
equipping 52 young people across
To make support accessible for
the community of El Porvenir,
all participants, Honduras Child
Honduras with Saalt Cups.
Alliance and TabuTabu established a WhatsApp helpline and an
In 2023, TabuTabu also introduced
additional WhatsApp group
Saalt products in their home
titled Mi Regla, Mis Reglas (My
community of Rio de Janeiro,
Period, My Rules). We love their
Brazil. TabuTabu provided Saalt
dedication to supporting their
Cups and education sessions for
communities, and we’re thrilled to
58 additional young people in local
continue expanding access to safe,
high schools and underserved
dignified period care in Honduras
parts of the community.
and Brazil.
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Brazil
100+ community members received menstrual health education, Saalt products, and ongoing support in Brazil and Honduras
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Education
Karat School Project Menstrual health education
The Karat School was founded
and choice in Ivory Coast
in 2018 and serves 106 students in primary school in rural Côte
Through culturally sensitive
d’Ivoire.
curriculum and programming, The Karat School Project works
In 2023, the Karat School Project
to empower girls in rural Côte
hosted multiple workshops to
d’Ivoire through education and
teach about menstrual health and
choice over their period care.
sustainability. At the end of the
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Côte d’Ivoire
workshops, girls were given the choice between disposable pads and Saalt Wear. 98% of students chose reusables over disposables, marking a win for period equity and a win for the planet.
98% of students in Cotê d’Ivoire chose reusable period care over disposables
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Sustainability
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Sustainability
Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i Sustainable Coastlines
In 2023, Saalt sponsored three
Hawai’i (SCH) inspires local
large-scale cleanup events on
communities to care for their
Oahu that removed a total of
coastlines.
12,600 pounds of debris from local coastlines. Throughout the
SCH fulfills this mission by hosting
year, we also support ongoing
large-scale plastic cleanup
educational activities with local
events that engage new people
schools that promote equitable
in their movement and inspire
solutions to plastic pollution. One
them to change their behavior
of the many things we love about
in ways that benefit our planet
working with SCH is that they do
and all of its people. SCH also
more than treat the symptoms of
hosts ongoing educational
plastic pollution, they tirelessly
opportunities for students
advocate for solutions to the
and local communities and
root cause of plastic pollution—
partners with local organizations
disposable culture.
on compost, recycling, and community engagement programs that inspire both large-scale, systemic change and individual sustainability actions.
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United States
12,600 lbs of debris removed from local coastlines 32
Sustainability
81,643 lbs of plastic waste cleanup funded in Indonesia 33
Indonesia
rePurpose Global rePurpose Global is the
first period care brand to certify
world’s leading plastic action
as Plastic Negative in 2020, and
platform dedicated to reducing
we’ve continued that commitment
waste, reviving lives and
every year since.
restoring nature’s balance. Through our ongoing partnership Saalt works with rePurpose
with rePurpose Global and their
Global to calculate our annual
impact project, Laut Yang Tenang,
plastic footprint, or the amount of
Saalt has funded the recovery of
plastic we generate annually. We
81,643 pounds of ocean-bound
then fund initiatives that remove
plastics across Indonesian islands.
twice as much plastic waste
As a result of this project, 250
from the waste stream. Through
waste workers in Indonesia
our partnership with rePurpose
received additional financial
Global, Saalt became the world’s
capital this year.
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Support & Initiatives 35
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Support & Initiatives
Tampon Tax Back Did you know period products
That’s why Saalt joined a
are still taxed in 21 US States?
coalition of 8 period care
It’s been called the “tampon tax.”
brands taking a stand. On October 11th, 2023, to celebrate
Despite period products being
International Day of the Girl, we
classified by the FDA as medical
rallied together in the spirit of
devices since 1982, 21 states
collaboration over competition
still charge sales tax on period
to amplify our collective voice,
care while exempting other
challenge the status quo, and use
medical and essential products
our influence to shape a more
like bandages, sunscreen,
equitable world.
antiperspirant deodorants—even newspapers and motor vehicles.
From October 11th and on, Saalt customers have been able to get
We’ve made big strides in the
their sales tax reimbursed on all
past decade: the majority of
Saalt cups, discs, and underwear
states have given period care
purchased on saalt.com or at any
products tax-exempt status. But
Saalt retailer. Cheers to period
people with periods in the 21
progress for all!
states that still have the “tampon tax” are charged between 6% and 9% in sales tax on top of the cost of the product. We think that needs to change.
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Everywhere
6–9% sales tax is charged on period care products in 21 states
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Support & Initiatives
Saalt Travel Kit At Saalt, we aim to maximize
opportunities for underserved
our impact for good with every
women that offer above living
decision we make and product we
wages, health and childcare
create. This June, we launched our
benefits, and paid-to-learn
new Saalt Travel Kit in partnership
literacy programs.
with Style Her Empowered (SHE), our long-standing impact
The travel bags are wax-printed
partner in Togo, West Africa.
and dyed by hand using a
Each kit comes with a beautiful
traditional West African technique
100% Cotton Travel Bag that
called batik. The unique patterns
was designed and made in Togo
were custom designed for Saalt
by the talented seamstresses
to both honor women in West
at SHE. The SHE team artfully
Africa and to represent the ripple
designed this bag to honor our
effects of using business as a
collaborative partnership, which
force for good. Every purchase
continues to empower thousands
our customers make at Saalt help
of women and girls through
fund powerful partnerships like
funding for scholarships and job
this one.
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$6,000 41
was donated to support Faces of Hope’s emergency clothing and personal item services alongside ongoing Saalt product donations
Support & Initiatives
Faces of Hope According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million
“The addition of Saalt
people in the United States
products in Hope’s
experience domestic violence
Closet has not only
each year, 96% of whom identify as women. That equates to about 20 people per minute who are victims of violence by a family
increased our ability to provide our clients with necessary feminine
member or intimate partner.
hygiene products, but
One in every three women here
has empowered our
in Saalt’s home state of Idaho
clients to be able to
will experience intimate partner
choose the hygiene
violence in their lifetime.
products that best fit
Faces of Hope’s values encapsulate their vision for those
their needs.”
they serve—hope, healing, justice, safety, and empowerment. In 2023, Saalt donated $6,000
—Tianna Stolp, Grant Manager at Faces of Hope
to support Faces of Hope’s emergency clothing and personal item services alongside ongoing Saalt product donations.
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Thank you. 43
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Printed on 100% recycled paper
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