Business

Stigma attached to menstruation seen as an obstacle to wide use of sanitary napkins among local women

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/3

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sachini Gamage Welungoda

By Ifham Nizam

Hemas Consumer Brands, through its FEMS line, is on a mission to change the feminine hygiene market in Sri Lanka. Sachini Gamage Welungoda, Marketing Manager for the Feminine Hygiene Category, spoke about the brand’s ambitions, challenges and its commitment to driving positive change. She said, among other things, that the stigma attached to the women’s menstruation cycle locally is one of the biggest obstacles to the wider purchase and use of sanitary napkins among Sri Lankan women.

Despite not being the market leader, FEMS is determined to change the landscape of feminine hygiene in Sri Lanka, she told The Island Financial Review when journalists visited the Hemas Manufacturing Plant in Dankotuwa recently.

Gamage stressed that the brand has been instrumental in introducing an economic range of sanitary napkins, addressing the needs of the 70 per cent of women who do not use these products regularly. “Affordability is just one aspect. We identified that only 30 per cent of females use sanitary napkins regularly, and we wanted to change that, Gamage stated.

The introduction of the economic range was a strategic move to democratize access to menstrual hygiene products. However, the brand’s mission goes beyond mere affordability. FEMS aims to ensure transparency in its processes and co-creation with consumers, believing that this approach will lead to more effective and acceptable products in the market.

FEMS prides itself on its research and development (R&D) team, which, although based locally, brings global knowledge to the table and adapts it to Sri Lankan needs, Gamage said. “We don’t just bring products from outside unless they fit with the Sri Lankan consumer. Our R&D team takes global technology and localizes it to meet the specific needs of our consumers, Gamage explained.

This localized approach ensures that FEMS products are not only affordable but also tailored to the diverse needs of Sri Lankan women. Whether addressing heavy flow or providing a lighter feel, FEMS is committed to offering a range of options that meet various consumer preferences.

Gamage pointed out that one of the most significant challenges in the market is the stigma surrounding menstruation. “The biggest problem is that people are not aware of sanitary napkins and periods are not openly discussed. This taboo creates vulnerability, she said. The lack of awareness, rather than affordability, is the primary reason for the low penetration of sanitary napkins in the market.

Looking ahead, FEMS is focusing on expanding its product range to include premium options that cater to specific consumer needs, such as different flow levels. While the current focus remains on the local market, given its low penetration rate, Gamage hinted at the brand’s potential to explore international markets in the future.

With a 33% market share, FEMS is trailing behind the market leader, who holds 60%. However, with its commitment to innovation, transparency, and consumer education, FEMS is poised to continue its upward trajectory in the Sri Lankan market, Gamage explained.

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Business

Sri Lanka rolls out digital signature framework to accelerate digital economy

Published

9 hours ago

2025/12/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

The LankaSign–eMudhra partnership brings together the strengths of LankaPay’s legally recognized digital signing certificates

Sri Lanka has launched a National Digital Signing Framework, a foundational initiative paving the way for paperless governance. This strategic move eliminates the need for physical signatures and documents in government transactions, aiming to dramatically enhance efficiency, transparency, and accessibility for citizens and businesses. An analyst said that this could accelerate Sri Lanka’s governance and commercial relationships with other countries as traditional signatures make room for digitally signed documents accepted by the government.

In this significant step toward accelerating Sri Lanka’s digital transformation, eMudhra, a global leader in digital identity and security solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with LankaSign the only Certification Service Provider (CSP) in the country that complies with the Electronic Transactions Act No. 19 of 2006, operated by LankaPay, Sri Lanka’s national payment network during recently held inauguration of INFOTEL 2025 ICT exhibition at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Hall.

The LankaSign–eMudhra partnership brings together the strengths of LankaPay’s legally recognized digital signing certificates issued via LankaSign – the pioneering digital Certification Service Provider in Sri Lanka established in 2009 – and eMudhra’s globally trusted emSigner platform, which has enabled secure digital document signing across more than 68 countries since 2008. Through this collaboration, Sri Lankan citizens and businesses will be able to experience a seamless, secure, and user-friendly digital signing solution, enabling documents to be signed anytime, anywhere using iOS, Android, or web-based applications.

This partnership with eMudhra aligns with the national agenda to promote adoption of digital documents, reduce dependency on paper-based processes, and facilitate a more efficient, transparent, and secure digital economy. This collaboration aims to support the government’s long-term digitalization roadmap by enabling a secure digital documentation layer essential for e-government services, digital finance, and digital transformation.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Business

Dialog & University of Moratuwa launch open-source Sinhala Voice Model

Published

9 hours ago

2025/12/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

In a significant move to accelerate technological innovation in Sri Lanka, Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s #1 connectivity provider, and the Dialog-University of Moratuwa (UoM) Research Lab, has announced the release of SinhalaVITS, a state-of-the-art, open-source Text-to-Speech (TTS) model for the Sinhala language.

This non-commercial initiative delivers a powerful, high-quality, and natural-sounding Sinhala voice model to the public, making it freely accessible to developers, researchers, and students. The model is available for download on Hugging Face, the world’s largest open-source AI community, empowering anyone to build and experiment with advanced voice technology.

The SinhalaVITS model is the result of a deep-rooted collaboration that unites Dialog’s industry leadership with the academic excellence of the Dialog–UoM Mobile Communications Research Lab, fulfilling a vital need within Sri Lanka’s tech community for accessible, high-performance tools that drive innovation. By removing cost and licensing barriers tied to proprietary software, Dialog is empowering developers and researchers while fostering a more inclusive, collaborative, and future-ready AI ecosystem. This initiative further reinforces Dialog’s commitment to advancing Sri Lanka’s digital future—investing in open-source technology and academic partnerships to nurture local talent and lay the foundation for next-generation digital services built by Sri Lankans, for Sri Lankans.

Business

HNB signals ESG commitment with oversubscribed LKR 10 bn sustainable bonds

Published

9 hours ago

2025/12/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

The market opening ceremony conducted on the trading floor to mark the event

The Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB PLC) commemorated raising LKR 10 bn with its first ever issuance of sustainable bonds by way of a market opening ceremony conducted on the trading floor of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) last week.

The 9th December issuance of 100 mn listed, rated, unsecured senior sustainable bonds, in five year and seven-year tenors, with a par value of LKR 100/- and rated “AA-(lka)” By Fitch Ratings Lanka Limited, was oversubscribed on the same day, raising LKR 10 bn.

Sustainable bonds, which were launched in Sri Lanka for the first time this year, are part of a series of GSS+ (Green, Social, Sustainable & Sustainability Linked) debt instruments. The proceeds of the sustainable bond issuance will be used by HNB PLC to fund the development and installation of solar, wind, biomass and hydropower projects, improve energy efficiency through retrofits, fund the construction of recognized ‘green’ buildings, fund investment infrastructure for water treatment, water conservation and efficient agricultural water technologies, finance housing development, healthcare and education for low- and middle-income families, promote women entrepreneurship, amongst others initiatives.

Damith Pallewatte, Managing Director and CEO of HNB PLC, who was the ceremony’s keynote speaker remarked upon the issuance of sustainable bonds commenting: “HNB’s LKR 10 bn sustainable bond issuance is a landmark step in advancing Sri Lanka’s sustainability agenda.”

Delivering his welcome address at the event, Rajeeva Bandaranaike, CEO of CSE, remarked upon rising corporate engagement in CSE’s GSS+ debt instruments stating: “HNB’s Sustainable Bond represents a welcome new addition to the list of leading Sri Lankan financial instruments that have set the example for the success of CSE’s GSS+ Bond framework which have allowed the capital market to operate as a financing vehicle for sustainable and socially equitable projects.”