The cheeky loo roll that’s saving our trees
The Cheeky Panda’s tissues and wipes are made from sustainable bamboo
WHEN Chris Forbes and his wife Julie Chen jetted off to China to visit Julie’s parents in 2015, they were looking forward to a relaxing break in a country they loved.
Instead, they came across a scene that led to the launch of a business that, four years on, has resulted in almost 40,000 trees being saved, countless animal habitats preserved and numerous people with sensitive skin finding a kinder alternative to traditional toilet rolls and wipes. Seeing bamboo being harvested led to the couple's realisation that while 27,000 trees were —and still are —being chopped down every day to
service the world's tissue needs, a huge surplus of naturally sustainable bamboo wasn't being fully utilised. And so, The Cheeky Panda was born, and its range of toilet paper, kitchen roll, napkins and wipes quickly became an Amazon bestseller thanks to the brand's green credentials. Reviews reveal that customers welcome a more environmentally friendly option. While tree-sourced wood pulp used in traditional tissue products is having a huge impact on the environment — with the demand already leading to credible claims that the Boreal forest in Canada is now under severe threat as a result — bamboo has no such effect. Bamboo is a grass requiring only sun and water to flourish, bamboo can be cut and harvested each year without causing any damage to the soil, unlike trees, which take on average 30 years to grow and have to be dug out before replanting. Over the past three years, The Cheeky Pandis use of bamboo has already saved 39,600 trees thatwould have been otherwise
felled for tissue products, safeguarding the habitats of countless animals around the world in the process. It appears there are other benefits of switching to bamboo-based tissue, with some sensitive skin sufferers finding the absence of harsh chemicals, combined with the
natural smoothness of the bamboo fibres, means they are less likely to experience painful flare-ups. It's little surprise, then, that environmental big hitters have thrown their weight behind the independent brand, with the products becoming the first in the UK to be certified by both
The Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International. Meanwhile, a growing number of online and high street retailers across the UK and Europe, including Morrisons, Boots, Superdrug, Booths, WHSmith and more than 1,000 independent stores, are now stocking the products. Add to that the fact that there are plans eventually to replace The Cheeky Pandas recyclable packaging with a completely plastic-free range, and just one question remains: how long will it be before you switch to bamboo?