What investigation? The study concluded that some toilet paper brands that claim to be environmentally friendly have problems in their supply chains, raising questions about their environmental credentials.
A new investigation has revealed that some ‘trendy’ toilet paper brands that claim to be made from eco-friendly bamboo actually contain very little paper and use natural wood instead.
Which? , a consumer research website, tested samples of each of five popular brands to prove they were made from bamboo.
Bamboo is touted as being more environmentally friendly than conventional paper made from local trees because it grows quickly and in the process produces fewer greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
Which? Bumboo, Naked Sprout, and Bazoo samples were found to contain only 2.7%, 4%, and 26.1% bamboo grass fibers, respectively.
Bazoo says it makes “tree-free, 100% bamboo toilet paper,” and Bumboo refers to its “FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and tested 100% bamboo paper from well-managed forests.”
Naked Sprout does not claim that the product is made exclusively from bamboo, nor does it specify that other materials are present in its bamboo selection.
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Emily Seymour, which one? Sustainability editors say: “If you make environmental claims about specific products and want customers to believe those claims and buy products based on those claims, then you as a company have a responsibility to make sure your checks and balances are correct.”
She praised Bamboo’s “excellent” response after receiving a warning from Which? Testing was stepped up in January.
Bumbo chief executive Rob Ingram told Sky News he was “shocked” to learn of Which?’s findings and said the problem arose because a paper mill in China sold it the wrong product.
“We immediately identified the problem and fixed it, as previously we only did annual testing… we will now be testing every batch to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
According to consultancy McKinsey, the COVID-19 lockdown has contributed to a shift to buying goods online, such as some products tested by Which?
The 2021 report found that consumers are “increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy,” including toilet paper.
Which? The toilet paper tested was found to consist primarily of fast-growing virgin hardwoods that are not very environmentally friendly – mainly eucalyptus, but also some acacia baza and bumbu trees.
The company tested products from two other brands, Who Gives a Crap (WGAC) and The Cheeky Panda, and found that they contained 100% bamboo as advertised.
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Testing was carried out by an independent laboratory using the industry standard TAPPI T 401 test.
Naked Sprout said it was “extremely disappointed by Which?’s recent report indicating that our bamboo toilet paper contains little bamboo.”
A spokesman said: “Our entire supply chain (four pulp suppliers and one manufacturer) is FSC certified… the most trusted supply chain organization in the world. FSC stated that there were no problems identified with any of our pulp suppliers. FSC is undertaking further research to further validate this “TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry) acknowledged the limitations of current testing and stated that “significant differences in accuracy are expected.” “
They added: “Our products remain the most environmentally friendly option on the market. Our bamboo and recycled toilet paper has a lower carbon footprint than any other eco-friendly or mainstream option. This is because we use plants powered by renewable energy sources. renewable energy, our shipping and postage costs are as eco-friendly as possible, and our packaging is plastic-free and 100% recyclable.”
They’re going to start showing customers supply chain data that will allow them to see “exactly where our bamboo is grown, how it gets to our factory and what exactly goes into the toilet paper we make.”
TAPPI stated: “Of course, every test method has limitations, and TAPPI/ANSI T 401 clearly describes the limitations of the TM itself.
“We believe there is no contradiction in how ‘Which?’ applies T 401, and it would be disingenuous to suggest that TM has been successfully applied to other brands tested in this article but not to Naked Sprout.”
A Bazoo spokesperson said: “Bazoo and our entire supply chain are subject to stringent audits by the Forest Stewardship Council, the leading chain of custody certification body in our market, so we are extremely disappointed to learn that our rolls are not produced at source. We are actively communicating with FSC to gain a clear understanding of where this error occurred.
“We are sincerely committed to delivering on our promise of 100% bamboo rolls and have made every effort to understand the source of the problem to ensure complete protection from any future contamination.
“This means stricter quality control measures, more frequent testing and corrective practices for our customers who receive contaminated products.”
All customers affected by the contaminated batch have been contacted, they said, adding: “As a UK start-up trying to make change, we know there will be bumps along the way.”
Post time: Jun-04-2024