Toilet paper destroys thousands of acres of forest in Canada every year, yet demand for it continues to grow. Demand for more sustainable alternatives is also increasing, and competition is heating up.
Toilet paper is typically made from wood pulp, which in the United States often comes from Canada. Some of the most popular toilet paper brands receive an F for sustainability from the National Resources Defense Council because they are made almost entirely from forest fibers.
New products from Whole Foods, Green Forest, Who Gives a Crap and a startup called Reel Paper are changing an industry poised for disruption. The web uses bamboo pulp instead of wood pulp.Bamboo is grass, not a tree
“It’s one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. When you cut it down, it regenerates from the same root structure and you can harvest it every three years, so we find it’s the best way to create high-quality Ongoing resources. David VanHimbergen, CEO of Reel Paper, said: “Good paper is a good product. “
Bamboo’s longer fibers are ideal for balancing softness and strength, he adds.
He added: “It’s a small change that can have a meaningful impact due to frequency of use as people can transition to something more sustainable.”
Consumer demand for environmentally friendly cleaning products is growing rapidly. That makes investors more interested in some of these startups and their potential returns.
“There are some big companies involved, from Kimberly Clark to P&G and so on. Of course, when we invest, we say, hey, are these companies one day likely to want to buy this business? ” said Andrew Bluestein, co-founder and managing partner of Bluestein Ventures, an investor in Reel Paper.
In addition to Bluestein, Reel Paper is backed by Squared Circles, Montage Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Trousdale Ventures and Mandell Ventures. It has raised $14 million in funding.
Reel Paper currently ships bamboo from China to the United States, burning fossil fuels in the process, so the company purchases carbon offsets. Van Himbergen said degraded sugar cane plantations in Central America are now being developed for bamboo farms. Hopefully they’ll get it from a more recent source soon.
One of the biggest competitors in the sustainable toilet paper market is the growing bidet market. Some people believe that bidets use more water and therefore may be less environmentally friendly in arid areas. But toilet paper is also made from water, far more than the water used in bidets. The answer seems to be that if you live in an area with plenty of water, a bidet is best. If you live in a dry area, sustainable toilet paper is a better choice.
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