More and more brands are selling bamboo toilet paper – and promoting it as the sustainable alternative. Sounds good at first, right? Bamboo grows quickly, needs little water, is biodegradable – a true eco-dream. But beware: Not everything that is green packaged is really green.
Especially imported bamboo toilet paper from China is often advertised with claims that, upon closer inspection, have little substance. And this is where the problem begins: Greenwashing.
1. Origin obscured: "From Europe" – but actually from China
Some suppliers try to make their products seem more European than they are. They suggest production in Europe, although the toilet paper is actually imported from China. The bamboo grows there, the paper is produced there – often under conditions that are neither transparent nor verifiable. It may then be packaged in Europe – and voila, the impression is created that it is a local product.
This is misleading – and unfair to companies that actually produce in Europe with clear standards.
2. Unrealistic CO₂ values
Some brands publish CO₂ figures that are hardly verifiable – in some cases even better than those of regionally produced alternatives. This is simply impossible when you consider:
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The bamboo must first be harvested in China
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Then it is processed there
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Subsequently, the finished paper is shipped across the globe
How can there be a lower CO₂ balance than with regional production using renewable energies? Right – there can't be. Unless one calculates creatively. Or simply does not publish a complete life cycle assessment (LCA), as is unfortunately the case with some suppliers.
3. No complete transparency
Responsible companies publish their ecological balances openly – including raw material sources, transport routes, energy sources, and production conditions. But many "green" brands that rely on bamboo from China do not do this. Instead: Buzzwords like "eco-friendly", "CO₂-neutral" or "sustainable" – without verifiable data.
4. Why we at Oh Sheet! take a different approach
We focus on bamboo toilet paper that is produced in Europe – at a manufacturer that is the only one in Europe to produce 100% with renewable energy. Our ecological balance is transparent and openly accessible. We don’t just want to sound good – we want to do it right.
Because real impact requires more than pretty packaging and marketing promises. It requires transparency, fairness, and responsibility.
