Do you have a bum? Do you love reading informational content about premium bamboo toilet paper? Do you have a keen interest in embossing and lamination? Well, it’s your lucky day – because that’s what the next 800ish words are all about. Let’s gooo!
How long did it take to develop the new 100% bamboo toilet paper?!
Oh you know, just a casual three years. From research and development to design, we poured our farts and souls into the creation of our new rolls. As cliché as it sounds, good things take time and we wanted to make sure we got it right. (And by “right” we mean soft, strong and consciously made with sustainable materials.)
Maybe you’re wondering why we bothered changing things in the first place? Isn’t “good enough” good enough? Well, without getting into the (boring) nitty gritty, consumer research suggested that our 100% bamboo toilet paper wasn’t quite meeting our customers’ softness standards. And if we’re really honest, we want our planet conscious rolls to feel as nice as possible on your tush.
Okay, so what’s changed?
Two things: the emboss and the lamination. (Stay with us, by the end of this blog post you’ll be a walking dictionary of toilet paper terminology.)
Embossing is the pattern pressed into the surface of the paper, and surprisingly, it has a huge impact on how the sheets feel. (Who knew your bum could tell the difference between butterflies and roses?) Get it right and you’ll end up with a pillowy soft wipe. Get it wrong and you’re skewing into brown paper bag territory. Over the years, we experimented with a lot of emboss patterns and happily landed on a cheeky little cloud character we think you’ll love. It’s name is Cushy Tushy – and it’s the cutest little bum-shaped cumulus in the known looniverse!
The second change? A little something called lamination. Until now, the three plies (or layers) of our toilet paper have been bonded together using pressure. This meant that some of the paper’s fluffiness was squished in the bonding process. But no more! For our new rolls, we transitioned to a manufacturing technology called ‘lamination’ which uses waaaaay less pressure and sticks the layers together using a tiny amount of starch (aka a combo of water and cellulose). The result? Softer, thicker sheets for your cheeks.
What hasn’t changed?
Long story short – literally everything else. Our new bamboo rolls are still…
Made from 100% bamboo that’s responsibly sourced from small, cooperative farms
Wrapped in fancy plastic free designs
Fragrance free, ink free and dye free
Element chlorine free (ECF)
Super long, with a whopping 370 sheets
And most importantly, we still donate 50% of profits to help provide access to clean water and toilets around the world. After all, that’s kind of our thing.
Why does the paper look so much whiter?
10 points for attention to detail! You’re right – our new bamboo toilet paper does look whiter. But don’t worry, we haven’t added any additional whiteners or brighteners. (That’s not how we roll.)
The whiter appearance actually comes from the new emboss, not from any change in how we whiten the paper. Basically, because there are fewer “shadows” or indentations, there’s more white space showing. Rest assured, we use the same low impact “Process Chlorine Free” (PCF) whitening techniques we always have, which just so happens to be free from nasty dioxins. (Psst! If you want to nerd out, here’s a quick chemistry lesson on making bamboo toilet paper whiter.)
How do I know it’s any better than the old stuff?
Well, you don’t know until you give it a go. But according to testing by Wirral Sensory Services, our new toilet paper is smoother, softer, cushier and stronger (when wet) than before. It also has a quieter scrunch – so if you thought our old bamboo toilet paper was too noisy, you’re in for a treat. (Nope, not a joke.)
In case you’re curious, sensory assessments go a little something like this. Candidates are screened for their level of “sensory acuity”, otherwise known as the sharpness of their spidey senses. Then, after a bit of training, they’re given unbranded samples to evaluate with their fingers and cheeks. (That’s face cheeks, not bum cheeks – just FYI). The results are then plotted on some fancy looking graphs, and voilà! We get detailed and unbiased information about our new rolls.
Results from the sensory panel, showing our new bamboo toilet paper scored higher for a whole range of softness attributes when compared with our old bamboo TP. Woo!
How do I know Who Gives A Crap isn’t just becoming a regular toilet paper brand?
Regular? Us? Never! Some of you might have tried our new rolls and thought: Hmm, this looks and feels a bit like traditional toilet paper. Has Who Gives A Crap sold its soul to appeal to the asses, I mean, masses? Well, we did make the rolls softer because we think more people will love them, but only because more people loving them = more potential profits donated to help clean water and sanitation projects. Our theory is that nicer rolls means more bums on board, which means more good in the world. We're the same silly ol’ toilet paper company you know and love. Just a bit cushier on your tushy.
Don’t wait to try our new and improved 100% bamboo toilet paper! Still got questions? Our customer happiness humans would love to hear from you.
*See more at claims.whogivesacrap.org.