Kimberly-Clark Professional is providing complimentary bladder-leak products at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh for all remaining Pittsburgh Steelers home football games, it announced Dec. 15. While the company says the pilot project is the first focused on bladder-leak products, it’s part of a greater emphasis on facility cleanliness and accessibility in sports facilities.
The pandemic-driven demand for enhanced hygiene and safety protocols has also translated to more frequent and thorough cleaning of high-touch surfaces, advanced air filtration systems and the implementation of contactless technologies for sanitation, according to one market analysis by Data Insights Market.
“In an industry that thrives on having as many excited fans in the stadium as possible, easing up on hygiene protocol is a risk facility managers can’t afford to take,” Katrin Ferge, North American regional marketing manager for the commercial professional hygiene segment at Essity, said in a March post on CMMOnline. She gave the example of high-capacity product dispensers as one approach to a better on-site experience.
The distribution of free hygiene products can be seen in that light. For example, Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox partnered with Aunt Flow to install dispensers of free period products in 11 locations across its home stadium, Guaranteed Rate Field, in 2024. The dispensers are both inside and outside of restrooms, monitored and refilled by the stadium’s hygiene service provider, Citron Hygiene.
Kimberly-Clark says that sports venues have “come a long way in serving the needs of fans on game day,” and the program will give fans “the freedom and confidence to attend any game.”
“No one should be sidelined from the action because of bladder leaks,” Marti Walsh, vice president of customer experience and marketing for Kimberly Clark Professional North America, said in a statement. “Every fan deserves to enjoy gameday comfortably and confidently. This initiative marks an important first step in ensuring accessibility to bladder protection at more venues across the sports and entertainment industry.”
Attendees will be able to request the company’s Depend products at guest services and first-aid locations throughout Acrisure Stadium. The pilot program comes as Kimberly-Clark Professional expands its footprint in the sports and entertainment industry. The company also hopes the effort will make modern venues more accessible and inclusive, especially considering clear-bag policies at many facilities.
Reducing the stigma around bladder leaks “becomes increasingly important … as product accessibility in-venue provides a discrete way for fans to utilize the products that they rely on at home in out-of-home situations,” a Kimberly-Clark Professional spokesperson told Personal Care Insights. The company notes that one in two women and one in four men over age 40 experience bladder leaks.
“Future success for us will be measured not only by the amount of venues where we make our products accessible, but also how we ensure that our greater portfolio of brands like Huggies, Kotex, and more are being made available so patrons can access all the consumer products that they know and love in an away-from-home setting,” the spokesperson said.
