About Bamboo Toilet Paper: How It’s Made, Features & More

In this guide, we outline some key information about bamboo toilet paper.

We discuss how it’s made, and what features it might have.

 

Summary – Bamboo Toilet Paper 

Bamboo toilet paper usually comes from bamboo plants, and can use a lot of the same chemicals in the manufacturing process as regular toilet paper

Each company will ultimately make source and process their bamboo in a different way

You might like to check from which country from the bamboo stock is sourced

Bamboo toilet paper might be slightly more eco friendly that regular toilet paper depending on variables in the lifecycle of the TP

But, some sustainably made regular toilet papers may be equally as eco friendly or more eco friendly – depending on how they are made

 

Where Bamboo Is Sourced From 

It might be sourced from bamboo plants and sugarcane crops – usually in China (grown in smaller provinces – where they can provide supplemental income for families).

But, it depends on the toilet paper company – you need to check the country of origin for the individual product

Sometimes the bamboo and sugarcane comes from waste from crops used for other purposes, and in this instance, the bamboo and sugarcane can be utilized where they would regularly be disposed of as waste

 

How Bamboo Toilet Paper Is Made

Bamboo goes through the same process as regular toilet paper from the pulping process onwards – read about the toilet paper making process here

Some of the differences to note though are:

– Chemical Processing Of Bamboo Fibres

Bamboo fibres from the bamboo plant are turned into a bamboo pulp via a chemical mix

This mix usually contains different chemicals to the the bamboo rayon viscose used in the bamboo textiles process

 

– Chemical Waste

Sometimes the chemical mix used to create the bamboo pulp is re-used (once or twice, or more), and then treated before being disposed of back into rivers, the ocean or the public water supply.

But, you have to check the individual processes of the toilet paper companies

 

Features Of Bamboo Toilet Paper

Some of the features of bamboo toilet paper might include:

 

– Material sourced from bamboo plants usually grown in China (but some can come from different countries)

 

– Made from bamboo and sugarcane either from specially grown plants, or from the waste of bamboo and sugarcane used for other products

 

– Bamboo is more sustainable than trees

It grows fast (can be harvested again in as little as 3 months after the previous trimming, compared to trees which can take up to 30 years to grow to full size), uses land efficiently (because it grows densely), and doesn’t use fertilizer or pesticides. In some places, it uses less irrigation too (saving on water).

Bamboo is usually good at producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide to be carbon neutral or net positive.

Bamboo can also be cut with the base and root system of the plant staying in the ground – so it’s good for soil health.

 

– Still requires chemicals to break the fibres down into a pulp to make paper, but it’s usually not the same chemical mix used for bamboo textiles

Bamboo toilet paper may or may not be bleached.

It may or may not be inked/dyed for color, and may or may not be scented

Sometimes bamboo toilet paper can be a brown or a darker color if bleaches and whitening chemicals aren’t heavily used

 

– Bamboo toilet paper is usually just behind, or equal with recycled paper for eco friendliness, but in front of regular toilet paper 

 

– Bamboo toilet paper is usually as soft as regular toilet paper and as strong

 

– Usually comes with paper packaging instead of plastic packaging

 

– Usually slightly more expensive than regular toilet paper, but still very affordable

 

– Might come with a money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the product

 

– Some bamboo toilet paper companies put a % of their profits towards building toilet in places in the world with little or no sanitation

 

– Some bamboo toilet paper companies have an initiative where they plant a tree for every X amount of rolls they sell

 

– Currently, bamboo toilet paper only makes up a very small % of all toilet paper used – regular toilet paper made from virgin wood is the predominant toilet paper product used

 

Best Bamboo Toilet Paper

We haven’t rated any of the following brands at this point. But, some of the more prominent brands at the time of publishing this guide were:

Who Gives A Crap, Pure Planet, and TUSHY, all have bamboo toilet paper products available at the moment. The Grove Collaborative does too.

 

Regular vs Recycled vs Bamboo Toilet Paper: Comparison

You can read a comparison guide about differences between these toilet paper types, and which toilet paper might be best here.

 

Most Eco Friendly Toilet Paper Options

Read more in this guide about potentially the most eco friendly and sustainable toilet paper options

 

 

Sources

1. http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-made/how-is-toilet-paper-made/

2. https://toilettravels.com/toilet-talk/how-is-toilet-paper-made/

3. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Toilet-Paper.html

4. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/regular-toilet-paper-what-to-know-about-it/

5. https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/bamboo-toilet-paper-review

6. https://www.hollyrose.eco/2017/07/sustainable-switch-terrific-truth-about.html

7. https://multirange.com.au/recycled-vs-bamboo-washroom-paper/

8. https://pureplanet.com.au/blogs/roll-with-us/the-devastating-impact-regular-toilet-tissue-has-on-the-environment

9. https://myplasticfreelife.com/2017/09/who-gives-a-crap-recycled-or-bamboo-toilet-paper-without-plastic/

10. https://support.au.whogivesacrap.org/article/32-why-bamboo

11. https://support.au.whogivesacrap.org/article/336-recycled-vs-bamboo-which-one-is-better

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