Feb 06, 2023

Is there really bleach in recycled toilet paper?

Bleach is a scary word. People think of the bleach under their kitchen sinks, chlorine bleach, harsh chemicals that can cause irritation or other health problems.

So people naturally worry when they hear about the presence of bleach in recycled paper, especially when it comes to items like toilet paper.

Serious Tissues have never and will never use chlorine bleach.

These chemicals were used in the past to whiten papers products, and in what feels like it should be a surprise to no one had serious nasty effects on the environment. This type of bleach can produce harmful by-products, such as dioxins, that can harm both human health and the environment.

'Bleaching' used colloquially often means whitening, not chlorine bleach.

There are alternatives, like oxygen whitening or a whitening agent, which is a chemical that doesn't produce harmful by-products and only serves to even out the colour of recycled paper as it comes from so many different sources..

It's also important to note that the colour of recycled paper can be an indicator of the amount of bleach that was used in its production. A whiter toilet paper roll often means that more bleach was used in its production. This is why some recycled paper products, like Serious Tissues, have a more off-white or grey colour. This is because they only use a small amount of the whitening agent and don't use chlorine bleach at all, making their products safer for both humans and the environment.

So, while people rightly may worry about the presence of bleach in recycled paper, it's important to understand the different types of bleach and their impact. Chlorine bleach is the one that should be avoided. So, next time you go shopping for recycled paper products, look for those that have an off-white or grey color, as they are likely to have used far fewer chemicals.

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Seriously Sustainable Toilet Roll

UK Made, recycled, plastic free & every box sequesters 11% of your annual carbon footprint.

shop toilet roll

5.900KG+

ocean plastic
removed

1,000,000+

trees
planted

17 years+

employment
created

FAQs

Serious Tissues are manufactured in the midlands. By producing in the UK we’re also able to reduce the carbon footprint of our toilet paper. Our loo roll is made from 100% recycled paper and without any unnecessary chemicals (dyes, perfumes, etc.)

Serious Tissues are made from recycled paper (also known as post consumer waste) - no trees are harmed in the making of this product. We use recycled paper - from newspapers, cereal boxes, etc. - instead of bamboo because the carbon footprint is smaller, and we don’t have to ship the bamboo from China. We’re produced in the UK and the source material is also from within the UK.

You can find more information on our tree planting dashboard here. Our current tree planting partner globally is Veritree.

In the past Serious has partnered with different associations, helping run tree planting projects all around the world including Eden Reforestation Projects and The Tree Council. Our partners work with local communities, providing work for those who need it, often in areas affected by extreme poverty. We have planted trees in the UK, Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia, Haiti & Central America.

The health of our oceans is vital to the health of our
planet. For the past 200 years, oceans have absorbed up to 40% of CO2 produced
by human activity but early signs are showing the rise of microplastics in our
seas is disrupting their capacity to act as a natural carbon sink. Plastic is entering our seas at an alarming rate and if the current trend continues, they could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

That’s why we’re working to cut off the flow of plastic into
the ocean.

For every pack of Serious laundry detergent or bar
soaps we sell, we recover 1kg of ocean-bound plastic. That’s the equivalent of fifty 500ml plastic bottles or 500 crisp packets.

Ocean-bound plastic is defined as the collection of
plastic waste in a 100km radius from the coastline (as defined in the Verra Plastic Standards) that would otherwise not have been collected and would most
likely end up in the ocean. Essentially it is an intervention to divert this plastic safely away from oceans before it has a chance to leak into it.

Recovery is currently managed by our partner, Repurpose
Global, and more information will be available soon on our ‘Plastics’ page.

All of the packaging is plastic free and 100% recyclable.

They are made in Sweden.

Because the laundry strips product is 95% lighter than traditional laundry detergents and far smaller, it means the carbon footprint from shipping is lower than other bulkier products.

We are looking to find a UK supplier soon, but we didn’t want to waste time getting the product to market so we could start making an impact by helping people reduce their plastic consumption and recovering plastic from nature.