The mission of ECONME is to protect and improve the global supply security of quality-assured, equitably priced contraceptive commodities.
The vision of ECONME is a world where every woman and girl has access to her first choice of contraception to support her voluntary, rights-based family planning.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. The personal autonomy and choice of a woman must always be respected. Every woman and girl deserves the chance to determine her own future through voluntary, rights-based family planning.
ECONME wants to empower women in the contraceptive commodity market. Our bodies, our birth control, our business.
Eliminating the unmet need for modern contraception is one of the most cost-effective investments a country can make in its future.
According to the Copenhagen Consensus for every $1 spent on family planning, the return on investment is $120.
1:120
$: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
​
investment : return on investment
ECONME will invest and reinvest in women by putting women's interests front and center of the contraceptive commodity market.
The urgent need to improve the contraceptive commodity market
Women’s voluntary, rights-based ability to choose if and when to have children is central to healthy families, healthy economies and a healthy planet.
Birth control empowers women and girls all over the world, transforms societies, and is central to achieving a subset of Sustainable Development Goals.
And yet.
​
Out of the 1.1. billion women worldwide who want to engage in family planning,
270 million lack access to modern contraception.
That is 1 out of 4 women. 1 out of 4 women worldwide who want to use birth control are unable to.
​
234 million of these women live in low- and middle-income countries.
In 43 countries, of which 32 are low-income countries, less than half of women
who want to engage in family planning have access to birth control.
Why can’t these women access the birth control they need? It is complex.
Women in 195 different countries face at least 195 different realities.
In low-, middle- and high-income countries access to- and affordability of contraception varies widely depending on supply security, facilities, costs,
policies and social cultural norms.
"Contraception is the greatest anti-poverty tool we have"(6:40 min)
Melinda Gates, 'author of moment of lift'
Contraceptive commodities: less than 3% of the total value of healthcare markets
​
The contraceptive commodity trade is a small and overlooked part of the global drug trade.
Like any other drug class, contraceptives are a revenue stream for pharma. A relatively small one.
United States drug sales for hormonal contraceptives are just $5.4B annually compared to $85.4B for cancer drugs.
The trend is the same in low- and middle-income countries: birth control represents less than 3% ($3.3 billion) of the total value of LMIC healthcare markets.
And profit margins of contraceptive commodities continue to shrink.
The driving force of any commercial business is financial interest. When that is undermined, interests wane:
Overall manufacturing of contraceptive commodities is in decline, even though the global demand will grow to 1.19 billion women in 2030.
The pill has already been out-of-stock in the Netherlands (2018), Sweden (2019) and England (2019). More shortages of condoms and the pill are expected.
Why are companies making less contraception?
When the current demand is not even met yet?
Where there is a lack of revenue there is also a lack of dedicated attention.
