Which? follows the paper trail. A proper "loodunnit".
You might have seen it in The Guardian, or the Mail, the Independent, or even in the New Scientist. A Which? magazine investigation has found the majority of UK Bamboo toilet roll brands are actually made of hardwood trees shipped from China!
However, Which? named Serious Tissues as one of the best eco options out there - UK made and recycled from post-consumer waste.
If you want to find out more about the Which? investigation read on below.
But if you want a month free of an eco loo roll subscription you can trust (33% off a box that lasts 3 months on average), use code: BAMBOOZLED
"Astonishingly low levels of bamboo"
In a shocking Which? Magazine expose, three bamboo toilet roll brands have been found to contain ‘astonishingly low levels of bamboo’.
Some of it was what we already knew - recycled is best, particularly post-consumer waste recycled that’s made locally like Serious Tissues. Bamboo is better than virgin pulp.
But now the shocking bit - despite marketing themselves as “100% bamboo” and “100% tree free”, rigorous tests show that they are in fact made mostly from trees.
Let's repeat that for a second:
Naked Sprout – 4% grass fibre – 96% trees
Bumboo – 2.7% grass fibre – 97.3% trees
Bazoo – 26% bamboo – 74% trees
And not just trees cut down in Europe. Trees cut down in China, like Eucalyptus and Acacia (linked to deforestation), made into toilet roll and then shipped 20,000km to the UK. Doesn’t sound very environmentally friendly does it?
This ‘bamboo’ product is then sold at a huge premium during a cost of living crisis, meaning they can generate big profit margins to keep growing the brand.
It turns out bamboo ‘isn’t the miracle crop it’s been made out to be’. While it grows faster than trees, meaning it can be ready for harvest in just four years, this investigation raises question marks over the supply chain that sits in China. ‘If bamboo isn’t certified, natural forests may be cleared for monoculture plantations and pesticides can be used indiscriminately.’
The article points to certified bamboo being a better option than virgin pulp, but with it being shipped 20,000km, question marks over the legitimacy of the supply chain and links to deforestation and harmful monocultures, there are a lot of factors to consider.
Recycled is “Top of the Pile”
Which? identifies locally made and recycled from post-consumer use paper as the ‘top of the pile’ from an environmental perspective.
The WWF and National Resource Defence Council both point towards locally made recycled loo roll as being the best option for home use.
The Environmental Paper Networks calculator shows that recycled tissue fibre has only 1/3rd of the greenhouse gas emissions of virgin fibre and requires around half the water use. Plus, it doesn’t require any new wood, so no trees are cut down.
That’s why Serious Tissues are UK made from post-consumer waste recycled paper. Switch now for your first month free with the code below:
For 33% off (our average box lasts 3 months) when you subscribe to an eco loo roll you can trust.
