There are aspects of conventional toilet paper production that deserve closer scrutiny—like the excessive plastic packaging and reliance on slow growth timber plantations to produce that toilet paper. Our bodies are complex ecosystems and we are living, breathing within broader ecological systems that are deeply interconnected which is why we cannot separate the two.
After years of research we arrived at a product we’re proud of—a toilet paper that is made with 100 percent bamboo, zero chlorine and lab certified to not contain PFAS and other chemicals that are known to be harmful to human and environmental health. Soft and strong, there is no need to compromise when it comes to buying better for Mother Earth and what is good for our bodies. EcoRoll was developed to protect the environment, including our most private.
Bamboo’s carbon storage potential
Bamboo is one of the most prolific and resilient sources of biomass in the world. It grows incredibly fast, at a rate of 91 cm per day with each growth cycle completion (and harvest) occurring between 5 - 7 years. Most of us will be aware of tree planting as an approach to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to mitigate global climate change but what if we kept more of our existing forests in the ground in the first place?
Because, despite such a short cycle, bamboo has a carbon sequestration capacity comparable to that of timber plantations. A recent analysis concluded, on average, a hectare of timber bamboo can accumulate 429 metric tonnes of carbon per hectare, nearly five times as much as timber plantations. Static life cycle assessment (LCA) frameworks and timber-based carbon models can underrepresent bamboo’s rapid regrowth and soil carbon dynamics, as they are typically assessing slower-rotation wood species rather than rapidly regenerative perennial grasses.
While further research and refined carbon accounting approaches are needed, these studies indicate that well-managed bamboo systems can store substantial amounts of carbon per hectare, with both above-ground biomass and soil carbon contributing to long-term carbon stocks.
Bamboo versus trees
A typical bamboo shoot grows into full culm height within two to four months at a maximum rate of 90–120 cm per day with short harvest cycles. Compared with most timber species that have a harvest interval of 10 to 50 years, the harvest interval for bamboo is between three and five years.
Compare this to the harvest time for hardwood trees used in producing conventional toilet paper — Pinus radiata 27.8 years, Douglas-fir 40.4 years, Cyprus 31.7 years and Eucalyptus 22.3 years. This species data was accessed via the Forest Owners Association New Zealand Plantation Forest Industry Facts & Figures 2022/23.
So what we find is that most timber species have a sustainable harvesting interval of 22 to 40 years. That means that with bamboo, that 5-year cycle can yield numerous harvests (like 15 in 20 years), while hardwood species will take decades (26-30 years or more).
Trees are a renewable resource, but it is a fact that the renewability of bamboo is far greater than that of trees. And because bamboo will have 15 harvests in 20 years versus timber’s one harvest in 26-30 years, there would be, of course, more jobs created and more economic activity with bamboo plantations. Bamboo is more capable of meeting ongoing demand for paper and timber products in select use cases, playing a crucial role in reducing our dependency on forest systems.
Toilet paper is a single-use product. Post-use, there is zero recovery. The trees used today by our industry can be replaced with bamboo and with this increasing acceptance of alternative materials. A desire for alternative and more sustainable solutions, with the aim of replacing timber products in other industries, notably construction would result in greater carbon storage benefits within the bamboo biomass of the earth and benefits to human and environment health.
Toilet paper wasn’t always made from trees
Early industrial toilet paper, (late 1800s to early 1900s) were made either partly or entirely from Manila hemp fibres before large-scale softwood pulp mills dominated. When timber pulp became cheaper and industrial forestry infrastructure expanded, bamboo, hemp and other non-wood fibres were not commercially the material of choice.
But this conventional pricing rewards short-term efficiency and financial returns, not long-term sustainability.
Ecosystems are not priced, neither is the biodiversity loss and as big Tech spends billions on engineered carbon capture and removal technologies in attempts to remove emissions post release, nature-based solutions already exist. Bamboo acts as a super-efficient carbon sink and it produces fibre materials without clearing forests, and without locking land into decades-long extraction cycles.
Toilet paper is a product that we interact with daily, frequently, so it holds importance when we consider the material impacts on our bodies. But these actions resonate in the natural world too. Choose the toilet paper that aligns with your commitment to responsible environmental choices which is also safer for your most private areas.