Our rolls are made of 100% FSC-Certified, unbleached bamboo, harvested in southern China. Bamboo is one of the world’s fastest growing plants, capable of growing up to three feet in 24 hours. It requires little water, no fertilizer and regenerates on its own after cutting. The more regularly bamboo is harvested, the faster it grows.
Currently, all the bamboo pulp produced worldwide originates in China. That’s because bamboo grows abundantly there, and the infrastructure to process it is well-established.
Life cycle analyses comparing the impact of tree-free toilet paper produced in China and sold in North America to that of conventional tree paper brands indicate that, even with the incremental carbon and environmental costs associated with ocean freight, tree-free paper uses less carbon by a factor of three.
Simply put, tree paper is made by systematically destroying the most efficient system of carbon capture on earth: the Boreal Forest. The benefits of keeping those forests working as they’re supposed to far outweigh the costs of the alternative.
While we’re on the topic, most “American” toilet paper isn’t actually made in America per se. The majority of the pulp now comes from carbon-intensive eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. These plantations stand where rainforests once thrived only a generation ago, with devastating impacts on wildlife, biodiversity, water supply, and global warming. Go ahead, check the package on your grocery store TP. More likely than not, it says “Made in the US with imported parts or materials.” Toilet paper hasn’t been made from American trees in generations.
PlantPaper is lab-tested PFAS-free for the six most commonly occurring forms of PFAS (PFHxA, PFOA, PFDA, 6:2 diPAP, 6:2/8:2 diPAP, and 8:2 diPAP) in addition to a further 22 PFAS compounds that have been detected in other toilet paper brands. PlantPaper has zero detections across the board.
PlantPaper on average is about .20 cents more per roll than comparable tree-based brands. The average person uses around 70 rolls per year, so that means the yearly cost is only around $15 more to make the switch to PlantPaper.
Yes! PlantPaper breaks down easily in septic systems. To see for yourself, try this test at home:
Put 4 squares of PlantPaper in a glass jar. Fill the jar ¾ full. Put back on the lid and shake heavily for 10 seconds. If the paper has broken down into small pieces (it will!), then it’s septic-safe.
Compared to other 2- and 3-ply premium toilet paper brands, whether tree- or bamboo-based, PlantPaper breaks down more quickly and completely.According to plumbers we’ve consulted, the majority of clogs are not the result of a change in paper, but rather due to underlying bellies and back-ups in the pipes that gradually worsen over time. Still, no matter what paper you’re using, if you’re a heavy wiper (you use more than 10-15 sheets of toilet paper per visit), consider flushing midway to reduce stress on your system. And consider passing the word along to your children: plumbers report that teenagers especially often use far more toilet paper than necessary.*There’s no truly universal measure of septic safety, because no two septic or plumbing systems are exactly alike. But toilet paper that passes this test will pass easily through almost any well-maintained plumbing system.
Yes, PlantPaper is 100% free of bleach and formaldehyde.
Until recently, almost all toilet paper was made with chlorinated bleach, which, when combined with organic substances like tree pulp, produces dioxins, a class of highly toxic compound considered a “persistent organic pollutant” because of how difficult they are to eradicate. In the last few years, as the damaging effects of bleach on our bodies and the environment became harder to ignore, some toilet paper companies have switched to an ECF process, or Elemental Chlorine Free. This is an improvement over previous methods, but some elemental chlorine is still present in the process, resulting in the formation of dioxins that ultimately find their way into our waterways and bloodstreams. That’s why we chose to make PlantPaper TCF–Totally Chlorine Free.
Most conventional toilet paper brands are also made with formaldehyde, a known skin irritant and carcinogen. PlantPaper contains zero formaldehyde.
Directed and narrated by Bonnie Wright
Sound on!
Old growth forests are complex ecosystems that develop over the course of centuries or millenia. Once cut down, they never regain their capacity for carbon storage or their ability to sustain wildlife.
Toxic chemicals used in conventional TP bind with compounds in our environment to form dioxins and furans, known as Persistent Organic Pollutants, which are highly toxic, carcinogenic, and do not easily break down.