What other toilet roll materials are there?
When it comes to tissue-making, trees are out. Standard toilet paper manufacturing is fuelling deforestation around the world, and with the global demand for tissue products growing, we need better raw materials.
So at Naked Sprout we’ve embraced bamboo toilet paper for how sustainable it is; bamboo grows faster than trees, using less land and water, and can be harvested from the stem so it doesn’t need to be replanted.
This helps us with an important goal - producing eco-friendly household products without relying on trees. But is bamboo the final word in sustainable raw materials? How will toilet paper be made in the future?
Why don’t you use European bamboo for Naked Sprout?
Bamboo is a great renewable resource for a whole range of commercial applications, including eco toilet paper. So it's no surprise that new bamboo plantations are being established in a surprising range of countries, including France, Portugal, and even Scotland! We’re delighted to see our favourite green stalks popping up closer to home.
So why aren’t we using European bamboo for Naked Sprout?
It comes down to pulp. To make toilet tissue or paper out of bamboo, you have to pulp it first - chop and mash the material into a smooth paste. This is done in a dedicated pulping facility where the raw material is mixed with water and broken down mechanically before being pressed into boards that can be delivered to toilet roll manufacturers.
For a pulping facility to be economically sustainable you need a huge forest of bamboo to feed into it. That’s exactly what China has - huge natural bamboo forests that can support large-scale pulping operations. One of the forests that we source our bamboo from is 273 square miles, about the size of Singapore!
So the bamboo currently being grown in Europe isn’t pulped. Instead it’s used for other purposes, such as furniture and construction materials. These applications don’t require the same scale of harvesting and processing as toilet paper production, making them more suitable for Europe’s smaller bamboo farms for now.
What about other materials?
Bamboo isn’t the only material we’re excited about. In 2023 we launched a UK first, unbleached recycled toilet rolls made from waste cardboard boxes collected from the area around our factory. So now your toilet roll delivery can be made from... delivery boxes!
If you thought cardboard packaging was an unlikely raw material for loo rolls, wait till you learn some of the other possibilities.
Here’s three other materials you could use to make eco toilet rolls. We’re keeping an eye on all of them for the future!
Nettles (yes, really)
Nettles might not be the first plant that comes to mind when you think of “things I’d like to wipe with,” but they’re far more versatile than they’re given credit for!
Historically, nettles have been used for dyes, medicines, and even food. In Europe of the middle ages the common stingers were often woven into strong, durable cloth that could be used for clothing. In fact, during World War I, when cotton supplies ran short, nettle clothing had a bit of a resurgence, with the German army sporting uniforms that were up to 85% nettle.
So why nettles for toilet paper? With their long, fibrous structure, nettle stems can be processed into eco toilet paper that’s both soft and absorbent. Nettles grow in abundance, especially in Europe, and they thrive in various climates without any pesticides or fertilisers. If you’ve ever tried to walk through an overgrown footpath at the end of summer you’ll know exactly what we mean.
Hemp
Like nettles, hemp has been used for centuries for a wide variety of products. The ships of the ancient Greeks sailed with sails and rope made from this versatile plant. So when you read the story of Odysseus tying himself to the mast of his ship to resist the song of the sirens, that's hemp rope he was relying on!
And speaking of ancient texts, some of the earliest paper ever produced was made from hemp, and famous historical documents, like the Gutenberg Bible and drafts of the United States Declaration of Independence, were printed on hemp-based paper.
Hemp is still proving to be a great all-rounder to this day, with engineers in a range of sustainable industries such as biofuel, textiles, and even construction materials taking a good look at its properties.
But what makes hemp a good option for biodegradable toilet paper? Hemp, like nettles, grows with long fibres that can be pulped into a strong yet soft paper product. Hemp grows incredibly fast, much like bamboo, and (also like bamboo) it doesn’t need a lot of water to grow.
Straw
Straw, the leftover stalks from grain crops like wheat and barley, has been used for millennia for various practical purposes. From ancient times, straw was used to thatch roofs and make baskets. The wattle and daub buildings of the neolithic period and middle ages had walls made of straw mixed with animal dung, you can still see examples standing at many historical sites including the Weald and Downland museum.
But why use straw for toilet paper? For one, it’s a waste product from existing agricultural processes, left over when we’ve taken the part of the crop that we eat. This makes straw an appealing choice for toilet paper manufacturers looking to use surplus agricultural waste as a raw material.
So the prospect of turning some of this straw into tissue is incredibly tempting, and the properties of straw itself seal the deal. Straw is rich in cellulose, the key component needed for paper production, meaning it can be repurposed into soft, absorbent tissue paper. Some manufacturers are already laying the groundwork for straw-based tissue, and we’re watching developments here with great interest.
The toilet paper of the future
The future of toilet paper, like any everyday single-use item, has to be more innovative and more sustainable. Bamboo grows quickly with less land and water than trees, and recycling cardboard boxes means we’re putting waste materials in the area around our factory to good use, but we’re not going to stop there.
Who knows, maybe our unbleached brown bamboo and recycled rolls will have some friends along for the ride before too long. Whether it’s nettles growing wild in Europe or straw left over from grain production, no material is too humble or too stingy, we’re considering them all!
Want to enjoy the benefits of a toilet paper subscription (or just a one-off order!) using sustainable raw materials?
