10020306Floco expansion to the USAClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKI'm Alison Wood, co-founder and CEO of Floco. Floco has two aims: first, to ensure no woman is disadvantaged by her period and second, to eliminate environmental waste from periods. Our UK commercial company designs and sells reusable period pads in the UK. They're more comfortable and affordable than alternatives and support our charitable arm, which aims to reduce gender inequality and period exploitation. Floco started in Kenya three years ago, where I found girls were exchanging sex for sanitary products just to remain in education. We knew we had to try and stop this and began making our reusable pads for them. We redeveloped the pad using innovative British materials to reduce the thickness and improve the design and comfort. Through lean manufacturing, we reduced the cost to become one of the cheapest reusable pads on the market without compromising on quality or comfort. Sales from our UK product support our work internationally. The larger we grow our UK company, the more significant impact we can have globally. We have recently formed partnerships with organisations in Cambodia, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malaysia, providing access to reusable period products. We train women in the community to sell these products at an affordable cost, ensuring sustainability and a greater impact. This project aims to conduct a feasibility study into the viability of selling Floco's innovative period pads across the US. Upon project completion, we will write a report detailing if the market is viable. If so, the report will include the following steps to access the market, including product development to meet consumer needs and regulation, the prefered route to market and marketing options. If the feasibility study concludes that the market is unsuitable, the report will highlight lessons learnt and other potential markets. The key objectives are * Understanding regulatory requirements and steps needed to comply * Engagement with potential customers to understand their needs * Conduct market analysis * Evaluating route to market options * Conducting a trade mission * Compiling a report with recommendations for the next steps The impact of expansion into the US market would enable Floco to * Access a broader market * Increase outreach opportunities * Increase period poverty on a global scale Floco believes no one should be limited by their bodies. Help us achieve that.