For generations, toilet paper has been made from wood pulp. Yet for a product used briefly and discarded immediately, an important question is rarely asked: do we need to rely on trees at all? It's easy to lose sight of the resources required to make the products we use every day. 

The connections between everyday goods and the forests, water, energy, labour and supply chains behind them are often hidden from view. Toilet paper is no exception. While most of us rarely think about where it comes from, the materials used to produce it have implications for forests, biodiversity and the communities that depend on them.

How many trees are cut down for toilet paper?

Buying toilet paper may seem like a small decision, but the scale of global consumption tells a different story. Because according to a WWF report, approximately 270,000 trees are used each day to meet demand for toilet tissue products worldwide. While estimates vary, the figure highlights the enormous volume of fibre required to produce a product that is used briefly and discarded immediately.

Forests play an important role in storing carbon, regulating water systems, supporting biodiversity and providing livelihoods for communities around the world. In some regions, including Canada's boreal forest, demand for virgin wood pulp has contributed to concerns about forest degradation and habitat loss. These concerns have prompted researchers, environmental organisations and manufacturers to explore alternative fibre sources for tissue products.

This raises a broader question: for a single-use product such as toilet paper, are trees the most appropriate resource? While many tissue manufacturers continue to rely on virgin wood pulp, alternative fibres such as bamboo are increasingly being used to reduce reliance on forest-derived fibre and diversify the raw materials used in paper production.

Why bamboo toilet paper makes sense

Bamboo has emerged as one of the most widely used alternative fibres in tissue production because of its rapid growth and ability to regenerate post harvesting - capable of growing up to 91 cm in 24 hours. As noted in the 'Review of the Resources and Utilization of Bamboo in China', bamboo has become a high-tech industrial raw material and substitute for wood—a Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) due to advantages such as rapid growth, high yield, short rotation, and easy management. 

Capable of absorbing 35% more carbon dioxide per hectare than similar plants, bamboo requires little water and fertiliser and regenerates on its own after cutting. And unlike pine and Douglas firs - used in toilet paper manufacturing which according to the Forestry Corporation are sustainably harvested within 30-40 years, many bamboo species reach harvest maturity within a few years and continue growing from their existing root systems without needing to be replanted.

Researchers have increasingly explored bamboo as a substitute for wood fibre due to its high yield, short growth cycle and suitability for paper production. For a single-use product such as toilet paper, these characteristics make bamboo an ideal alternative to virgin forest fibre. 

This leads us back to the original question: do we need trees to make toilet paper?

While there is no perfect material, bamboo offers a rapidly renewable fibre source that can help reduce reliance on forest-derived pulp. For this reason, EcoRoll is made from 100% bamboo fibre. After three years of research and development, we arrived at a product we’re proud of. Made of FSC 100% bamboo, EcoRoll contains zero chlorine or toxins and requires only a fraction of the water needed to produce tree paper.  It is a simple idea: if alternative fibres exist for products that are used briefly and discarded immediately, they deserve consideration.