Feb 06, 2023

Switching to bamboo might still mean cutting down trees.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using bamboo products as a more sustainable alternative to traditional products made from trees. This trend has extended to toilet paper, with many consumers opting for bamboo toilet paper instead of traditional tree-based options.

And bamboo is definitely better than virgin pulp toilet paper.

However, there are serious concerns about the environmental impact of bamboo products, particularly linking it to deforestation.

While bamboo is a fast-growing and renewable resource, the reality is that it is often grown in monoculture plantations, which can cause significant damage to local ecosystems. In some cases, the planting of bamboo forests has led to the destruction of natural habitats, driving wildlife and local communities away.

Moreover, many countries lack proper regulations and oversight to ensure that bamboo is grown and harvested sustainably. As a result, some bamboo suppliers have been caught illegally clearing land and destroying forests to make room for bamboo plantations. This is a significant problem, as deforestation is one of the biggest contributors to global carbon emissions and the loss of biodiversity.

If you are buying bamboo toilet roll, always get one that adheres to the FSC accreditation system.

We worry about deforestation. It's one of the reasons we started Serious, and chose to be 100% recycled, so we wouldn't cut down any more trees for toilet paper (currently we're cutting down 27,000 a day). We then plant a tree for every roll we sell on our website. So a box of 36 rolls is 36 trees in the ground.

Although we might be biased towards recycled, it's worth saying, not all recycled paper paper is made equal.

It's important to use brands that are 100% recycled from post-consumer waste. Serious Tissues are, and also source and manufacture in the UK.

The other thing to look out for is that your recycled paper doesn't use chlorine bleach, we don't.

Switch to serious

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.