American manufacturer bets on bamboo toilet paper to fight deforestation
All of Reel's toilet paper rolls, towels and tissues are made from sustainable, fast-growing bamboo
Reel, an American tissue manufacturer, uses bamboo as raw material in the manufacture of its products with the mission of offering the same comfort and quality as other items made from cellulose.
All of the company’s toilet paper rolls, towels and tissues are made from sustainable, fast-growing bamboo. Bamboo is considered the ideal substitute for slow-growing wood as it does not release carbon dioxide when cut and harvesting has less impact on the environment. In addition, bamboo requires less water to grow and does not need to be replanted after harvesting, giving the soil more stability compared to cutting down trees.
Sourcing bamboo for paper products is just the beginning of the company’s mission to offer eco-friendly products. Reel also purchases post-consumer paper products from schools and offices across the United States to avoid the use of virgin materials and lengthy shipments. From this, it keeps the products in the most natural way possible, free of dyes, inks and BPAs.
The company also intends to reduce plastic packaging in the industry by eliminating standard plastic-wrapped toilet paper as well as paper towel packaging, replacing them with a paper wrapper. Thus, in addition to the products themselves being biodegradable, all packaging can be recycled.
Reel encourages people to shop sustainably and in doing so hopes to reduce the number of trees cut down every day. “For various reasons, toilet paper and paper towels can’t be recycled. They’re used once and then flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash, never getting the chance to serve any other purpose,” the company said.
In this sense, the company seeks to make conscious decisions at each stage of the production process to reduce this impact as much as possible. At the end of its production cycle, Reel recognizes that there is a remaining carbon footprint. Therefore, it offsets 100% of the carbon emissions produced in international transport through its partners Flexport and the Carbonfund Foundation.
REEL PORTFOLIO
The company’s product line includes bamboo toilet paper in packs of 24 or 48 rolls and a box for kids containing a storybook that describes a lemur’s journey in search of toilet paper. Each roll counts 300 sheets of three-ply toilet paper.
Paper towels come with 12 rolls per box. Each roll contains 135 sheets, each with a half-sheet option to reduce waste.
The paper tissues – the company’s newest product – are made from recycled materials and certified by the FSC. They are available in a box of 24, each containing 80 double-ply wipes.
