A World First For Down Under

Global toilet paper consumption leads to the destruction of an estimated 27,000 trees every day.

But in a world first, one company has found a way to make the humble loo roll without it costing the earth. Saved A Tree uses no trees in Green Soft toilet tissue, instead using agricultural residues such as bamboo, straw, reed and cotton. The end result is not recycled paper, but a world-first 100% renewably sourced toilet tissue.

Co-founder of Saved A Tree, Damien Scarf, says this toilet tissue is nothing like its nearest rivals as its production uses no trees at all, and even boasts Forest Stewardship Council certification. But what really sets it apart from other environmental products is even more basic – how it feels.

“People want to do the right thing by the environment, but they also don’t want to use sandpaper for loo roll, which is the biggest issue with most recycled paper. This product is 3-ply premium quality and super soft - unlike anything produced to date,” he says.

Even the use of cotton (which is what makes the toilet tissue so soft) is eco-friendly. It’s not from water-dependent plantations, but is excess cotton from the textile industry, which would normally be sent to landfill or burnt into the atmosphere.

Scarf first discovered the technology of using bamboo and other agricultural residues on a trip to China while looking for ways to make suit bags from paper. After finding a factory that turns products such as bamboo into paper, he bought the patent to the technology along with two other business partners and formed Saved A Tree. Green Soft then went on sale in Australia in November last year.

The product is currently made in China, but there are plans to build a production facility in Australia in the near future.

www.savedatree.com.au

Green Soft toilet tissue is available from Foodtown, Countdown and Woolworths nationwide for RRP $5.99 for a 9 pack and 2.49 for a 4 pack.

We have two Green Soft prize packs to give away, each containing Green Soft product and a $50 Palmers Garden Centre voucher.

Benefits of Bamboo

• Bamboo is a quick growing woody plant or weed of which there are thought to be up to 1,500 species. They can grow up to 40m in height.

• Strands of bamboo release 35% more oxygen than equivalent strands of trees.

• Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth and can regenerate in 4-6 months as opposed to 40 years for other trees used for paper production.

• Given optimal conditions, it can grow more than one metre per hour for short periods of time so you can actually, literally, see it growing before your eyes.

• China is the greatest bamboo-growing nation, and is also home to pandas, which survive mostly on bamboo. The bamboo being used by Green Soft toilet tissue is commercially grown for the purpose of paper production, and has no impact on wild bamboo growth or panda food.

print