Andrex rolls out new recycled fibre and bamboo toilet tissue

Unveiling its new Andrex Eco product today (March 26), which is made using sustainably sourced recycled fibres (90%) and natural bamboo (10%), Kimberly-Clark (K-C), which owns Andrex, claims this is the first time bamboo has been used as a component in toilet tissue by a major brand in the UK.

It is produced using a manufacturing process which combines the bamboo fibres, which are sourced from China, with recycled fibres sourced from UK household and business waste. The product, which is FSC certified, is manufactured in the UK and Ireland.

K-C head of sustainability Tom Berry said that the move to use bamboo could also help reduce the company’s water consumption as less water is needed to grow bamboo than trees.

He said: “Bamboo is a relatively new fibre in this part of the World and we think it offers considerable opportunities for the future. It’s one of the fastest growing plants in the world producing significantly more fibre, on less land, than trees traditionally used to make tissue paper. Research also indicates that it can use less water to grow than these trees.”

WWF Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN, manager Julia Young, said: “With great demands on our forests worldwide, we are pleased to see Kimberly-Clark innovating to promote the use of recycled fibres in combination with FSC certified bamboo.”

K-C hopes to increase the use of alternatives, such as bamboo and recycled fibre will increase in its brands in a bid to lower the carbon footprint of its products.

WRAP director Marcus Gover welcomed the product, saying that using 100% recycled material and encouraging customers to recycle Andrex is “truly closing the loop with its packaging and helping to further reduce the carbon impact of its products”.

Andrex Eco is set to hit the shelves of UK grocery retailers later this spring.

Carys Matthews