As an ethical company, fully committed to sustainability, Spectrum is frequently assessed by measuring a business’s impact on the environment and society, as well as its governance structures. For Spectrum, this has never been a ‘tick box’ exercise; we practice what we preach, always striving to be the best we can be.
In the past, we have been genuine advocates of chemical-free cleaning, and we have encouraged many of our clients to adopt this and other environmentally conscious solutions within our daily operations. We have always tried to support the communities where we operate, not only by employing locally but also by supporting many charitable events and local initiatives in these areas.
One such initiative is our support of the fight against period poverty. We are aware of the ongoing challenges faced by many women throughout Scotland, particularly those in low-income households. So, working with Hey Girls and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), we’ve initiated a programme that allows Spectrum to be part of an excellent solution. We are purchasing period products from Hey Girls and making them available FREE in all of the front-of-house ladies’ toilets at Edinburgh Zoo. The initiative means the wildlife conservation charity’s visitors can access free sanitary products, but there’s much more to it. Because we are purchasing the products from Hey Girls, other locations throughout Scotland also benefit from free products!
Hey Girls is revolutionising Periods. It is the only social enterprise that donates 100% of its profit to fund the fight to eradicate period poverty and lobby for period dignity across the UK. In under five years, it has become the primary provider of period products to the local authorities throughout the UK, delivered on huge corporate accounts, and won tender contracts over big commercial names.
They are proud to be a female-led company and the only company to match its product sales exactly as donations. As they say, “When you buy one, we donate one.” They distribute donations via their UK-wide community partner network, which works on the frontline to support vulnerable people.
Rebecca Bell, Managing Director at Spectrum, is very proud to be supporting this vital issue; speaking about the Edinburgh Zoo project, she said:
“I’m so pleased to be involved with this initiative. Period Poverty is an ongoing challenge for many women in Scotland, so we’re happy to do whatever we can to help ease the problem. I hope this pilot project will lead to similar things being done at some of the other venues where we work and perhaps encourage other companies to do something similar.
“Buying the products and making them available free is one thing, but working with Hey Girls enables us to reach and help double the number of women because of the great work they are doing as a social enterprise.
“We are delighted that we are able to support them and, in turn, double the impact of what we’re doing at Edinburgh Zoo.”
