Why bamboo toilet paper?

Oh 2020 and the famous toilet paper craziness. With people staying at home because of business closings and shelter-in-place orders as the news pandemic started, the demand for consumer toilet paper skyrocketed while the demand for commercial toilet paper has decreased. Recent analysis found that American consumers used an average of 25 kilograms of toilet paper per person in a year, the equivalent of 144 Charmin Mega Rolls. So reasonable to consider why staple would be high in priority in everyone’s mind and grocery list.

When considering how much toilet paper we use, can just imagine how much trees it takes to meet this demand. Toilet paper wipes out 27,000 trees a day. Worldwide, the equivalent of almost 270,000 trees is either flushed or dumped in landfills every day and roughly 10 percent of that total is attributable to toilet paper, according to the latest issue of World Watch magazine.

Why does using bamboo toilet paper make sense? It is the fastest growing plant on the planet due to a unique rhizome-dependent system and can grow up to 20 times faster than trees in northern boreal forests. Certain species of bamboo can grow 910 mm (36 in) within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 40 mm (1 ¹⁄₂ in) an hour (a growth around 1 mm every 90 seconds, or 1 inch every 40 minutes). Bamboo toilet roll, when responsibly sourced, is certainly more sustainable than virgin wood pulp used in the more popular brands.

Bamboo not only grows faster than any other plant, but it produces more than 35 percent more oxygen than trees. It has been found that bamboo can absorb up to 12 tons of carbon dioxide per 2.5 acres in a single year. 

If you needed one more reason to make the switch, Bamboo growing requires no pesticides or fertilizers. The leave that drop to the ground are enough to provide it with the necessary nutrients.  So that means that bamboo is 100% organically grown.

Toilet paper is an item we all need in our homes. Imagine by just making that switch to use bamboo toilet paper versus other popular types, what a small impact that would make. I have already made the switch in my home. My goal is to encourage 20 of my contacts to make the same switch to make an impact beyond my own purchasing power. If you too are choosing to use your purchasing power to influence this change, please share your story with me.

Monica Peña at [email protected] . I will contact you if I plan to share on social media. Let’s collaborate and influence this world in a positive way together !