By Justus Scout
In recent years, more people have started to lean towards making more sustainable choices in their lives. Many events have helped open our eyes to be more aware of our environmental impact and carbon footprints. Even small changes can contribute to living an eco-friendly lifestyle, such as declining plastic straws, having reusable bags handy, and swapping everyday items.
One item high on that list is the toilet paper. While most people are not even aware or don’t think twice about their impact, some have decided to look for alternatives. More people are choosing the ethically-sourced bamboo toilet paper. Bamboo is not only a popular choice for TP, but it’s also being used as a material to create sustainable alternatives for items like sunglasses, tumblers, cutlery, and toothbrushes.
The toilet paper industry is a huge contributor to deforestation. Toilet paper is traditionally made from a mix of hardwood and softwood. Wood pulp, meaning they are not recycled, are produced from these trees to create your unassuming roll. They are then mixed with various chemicals to break down into usable fiber. Bleaches are used to whiten the roll. Imagine having direct contact with your skin and sensitive areas!
Approximately 27,000 trees are cut down every day just to make toilet paper. Up to two pounds of wood and 37 gallons of water are used to make one roll. Some reports show that an average American uses 57 squares of toilet paper daily, and Americans as a whole use over 36 billion rolls each year. That’s only factoring in the USA, not the rest of the world. In a lifetime, a person will use nearly 400 trees worth of toilet paper!
What makes bamboo a better choice? For starters, it is actually the fastest growing plant on Earth. The bamboo plant can grow 3 feet within only 24 hours and reach 25 feet in 23 days! This means it is one of the most renewable sources on Earth. It does not need any fertilizers or pesticides, doesn’t need much water to grow. Neither does it need to be replanted once harvested.
The plant also gives back – using 30% less water than hardwood and giving out 35% more oxygen. Is it wholly biodegradable? Yes, it is also septic-safe! After use, you can flush the bamboo TP down the toilet and it will dissolve quickly in the water. Say goodbye to the dreaded clogging of your toilet pipes.
Bamboo also has an answer to one of the most important factors in choosing your toilet paper – softness. After all, nobody wants scratchy paper on their bum. Fibers in bamboo produce paper that is significantly softer, much more than even recycled paper. Don’t get the wrong idea though. Softer doesn’t mean it’s not tougher. Bamboo has a higher tensile strength than most alloys of steel, so toilet paper made from it is guaranteed not to tear on you so easily.
More and more brands are coming out with their own bamboo toilet rolls. However, some have more outreach initiatives than others. Reel, a bamboo toilet paper brand, partners with SOIL, a non-profit research and development organization assisting Haiti solve their sanitation crisis. Reel donates $0.50 to SOIL for every sale. When have you heard your traditional TP give back?
There are more than enough compelling reasons to ditch your traditional toilet paper and make the switch to a much better alternative, which is undeniably the bamboo toilet paper. Factoring in the world’s collective health and environmental concerns, we can all agree that the time is now to shift to more sustainable and eco-friendly choices. Start with your toilet paper, and see yourself become more and more aware with every wipe.
