Who Gives A Crap – Eco Friendly Toilet Roll, Box of 48 Toilet Rolls (3-Ply, 400 Sheets) | Soft, Strong, Sustainable, Biodegradable, Plastic-Free

Product Information

Here’s a fact for you: almost 50% more people fold their toilet paper, rather than crumple it. But beyond this important revelation (it’s okay if you’re a crumpler), as well as the toilet paper memes that made the pandemic bearable, toilet paper is just… toilet paper. This is exactly what other bamboo-based toilet roll companies – both Bazoo and Bumboo who are based in the UK. They sell both unwrapped and wrappped versions of their loo rolls. Read my Bumboo toilet paper review and Bazoo toilet roll review here. Otherwise, we LOVE Who Gives A Crap! (and we hope you will too!) Pros of the 100% recycled toilet paper

Both of Who Gives A Crap’s TPs are 3-ply. Their 100% Recycled TP is equal in price or less expensive than the other 3-ply toilet papers listed, and it’s also less expensive than some of the 2-ply TPs. When recycled paper is bleached without chlorine, it is known as Process Chlorine Free (PCF) because previous use of chlorine in the recovered paper can’t be ruled out.

These are the benefits for consumers and the environment, but it doesn’t stop there. The brand is doing big and impressive things with its business model to help the people who most need it.

Whether you dislike the individually wrapped toilet rolls or not, you can’t deny that Who Gives A Crap’s marketing has boosted the popularity and consumer knowledge of sustainable toilet roll. So, in a market dominated by virgin wood fibre, we think bamboo is a good ethical option. There are risks, however, as discussed above, so it’s important to hold bamboo toilet paper companies to account for their sourcing and production. On the surface this is probably more than you usually pay for toilet roll. However, let’s look at the benefits. Normally I would now go into detail about using the product I’ve been sent. I would explain how easy it is to use, how nice it feels etc. But I feel weird reviewing toilet paper in this way! Instead I’ll just give you a little bit of information about the products they currently sell. When we last published this guide, we reported on research by US environmental organisation, the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), which showed the harmful impacts of tissue paper production on the boreal forest – the vast woodland which stretches across Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and Russia.Their 100% Recycled TP was graded an A+ (595/600) and their Premium 100% Bamboo TP was graded a D (200/600). Actually, of all the toilet papers graded by the NRDC in 2021, Who Gives A Crap 100% Recycled TP had the highest grading.

And even though Who Gives A Crap’s 100% Recycled TP is more expensive than 2-ply 100% recycled brands like Sustainable Earth by Staples and Cascades Pro Perform, the quality of Who Gives A Crap’s toilet papers is very noticeably superior. Next, we tried Cascades Pro Perform, which is also 2-ply and also wasn’t a success. It was better than the Sustainable Earth by Staples and I definitely could have kept using it, but we hadn’t yet reached a consensus as a household. From the beginning, they have been more focused on improving the lives of people without basic sanitation and to do this without any investors, they had to base their manufacturing in China. A small amount of paper is produced using alternatives to chlorine such as oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. This process is known as Totally Chlorine Free (TCF).

Which brands sell what type of toilet roll?

I’ll be honest I’m always a little wary when I’m told that something is more expensive because I get more, especially when it comes to toilet roll; because who’s going to count each sheet? But the comparison photo below, I think, clearly shows that the top two toilet rolls have more sheets than the one at the bottom. Sustainably sourced bamboo materials are certainly a greener choice than timber-based products which involves tree felling. But it’s not as eco friendly as using an existing resource and not without it’s issues. You can read more on is bamboo really sustainable here. Essentially, this means they pay for carbon offsets that cancel out the carbon emissions they produce. This isn’t perfect and there is always a lag in the carbon re-uptake, e.g. planting a tree will take decades to mature, but there’s no doubt this is better than not doing it. The brand is also a B Corp, a label that’s bestowed on companies that meet the highest standards for environmental and social impact. However, we’re open to suggestions and evaluating alternatives if you use something else or are interested in using something else (as long as we have access to it in Canada). Let us know below in the comments!