Bamboo Rolled Out in UK Toilet Paper

Kimberly-Clark’s UK-based brand Andrex unveiled a new toilet paper made of 90 percent recycled fiber and 10 percent bamboo.

Bamboo is considered one of the most sustainable forest products because it requires less water than other crops and produces higher yields. The bamboo for the Andrex tissue will be imported from China and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Kimberly-Clark said it is the first company to introduce bamboo tissue paper in the UK.

The product packaging will be made entirely of recycled content and will be 100 percent recyclable.

K-C said it will price Andrex Eco on par with non-recycled tissues in an effort to boost the sales of recycled tissue, which currently accounts for only 3.5 percent of all market sales.

"With great demands on our forests worldwide, we are pleased to see Kimberly-Clark innovating to promote the use of recycled fibres in combination with FSC-certified bamboo," Julia Young, manager of WWF Global Forest and Trade Network, told BusinessGreen. "Creating a softer product like Andrex Eco could open the door for greater consumer uptake and help us all play a part in moving to a more sustainable lifestyle."

Bart King is a PR consultant and principal at Cleantech Communications.

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