Australia is suddenly flush with forest-friendly recycled toilet paper firms: what's the state of ply?

The Guardian

2 days ago

The Australian brand Who Gives a Crap (WGAC) has recently launched its toilet paper products in the UK supermarket chain Tesco.
Having begun as a home delivery service, its recycled and 'sustainable' products are now stocked in Woolworths, Aldi and independent supermarkets such as IGA in Australia.
Despite the growing presence of WGAC and other brands offering recycled products, the supermarket shelves remain dominated by plush, virgin-pulp toilet paper. So what are the prospects for further changes in the market? And what are the ethical and environmental options for consumers?
Most mainstream toilet paper is made from virgin pulp – wood fibre sourced from hardwood tree plantations.
'They're grown for single-use products, without any environmental benefit,' says Jennifer Macklin, a senior research fellow at Monash University's Sustainable Development Institute.
'Recycled paper uses less energy and water to produce than virgin or bamboo products,' Macklin says.
The head of sustainability at WGAC, Elissa Foster, says globally more than 1m trees are cut down each day to produce traditional toilet paper, citing 2022 research from Edge Environment, commissioned by the organisation.
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Planting trees for low-value products such as toilet paper in place of old-growth forests contributes to the loss of habitat for species such as the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo, says Estelle Van Hoeydonck, a conservation campaigner at Zoos Victoria, which runs the Wipe for Wildlife campaign.
'Opting for recycled toilet paper is one tangible action Australians can take to support wildlife,' she says.
Recycled toilet paper is made from post-consumer waste paper, diverting material from landfill, reducing demand for virgin pulp and supporting a circular economy, Foster says.
Encore Tissue, an Australian company that produces the icare brand, was featured on Dr Karl's How Things Work earlier this year. It estimates its recycling operations save 138,000 trees, 185 gigawatt hours of electricity and 128,000 litres of water a year.
But Macklin says it is just one part of the wider picture.
'Recycled toilet paper is a positive option when feasible – but we don't want people to feel guilty. Choices like reducing food waste have far greater environmental value than switching toilet paper brands.'
Bamboo is often marketed as an eco-friendly alternative – including by WGAC – because it grows rapidly, reaching maturity in three to five years compared with 10 to 40 years for other trees commonly harvested, Foster says.
She says it is 'a great alternative to wood-based paper', but agrees with independent experts that recycled paper is the more sustainable option.
'Bamboo is a substitution strategy,' Macklin says, 'less preferable than reusing existing materials.'
Nevertheless, Macklin says she chooses bamboo for my household. 'After testing several options, that was the compromise that worked for us.'
One reason is that recycled toilet paper is still not as soft as virgin or bamboo. It may also disintegrate less effectively, affecting plumbing.
The consumer advocacy group Choice warned in its 2025 toilet paper review that some recycled brands did not break down quickly enough.
Yes – for both online and in-store brands.
WGAC reported a 21% year-on-year growth in Woolworths over the past 12 months, with rising interest beyond early adopters. The icare products, which are sold exclusively through supermarkets, have also consistently increased sales over the past few years.
Experts agree that the more consumers embrace recycled options, the more likely it is supermarkets will expand their ranges.
But availability is still patchy.
Woolworths carries several recycled brands, including from WGAC, icare, Naturale and Emotions (online only). Coles lists just one icare product.
Aldi does not stock recycled toilet paper year-round but has sold limited editions of WGAC products. Foster says WGAC has helped raise awareness and meet demand for recycled toilet paper in a more convenient way. 'We witnessed this demand rise in 2020 due to #toiletpapergate [the panic buying spree when Covid hit].'
An icare spokesperson said WGAC's rise had not negatively affected its shelf presence. 'We try to match pack sizes, quality and prices with non-sustainable brands like Quilton or Kleenex.'
Other home-delivery startups like Yarn'n, Oo Bamboo, About a Dog and Emotions, have followed similar models, often linking each purchase to a 50% charitable donation.