Liying Qian, Global Insight Manager – Tissue and Hygiene, Euromonitor International
State of the industry: consumer tissue industry snapshot
- Global market retail volume in 2025 (tonnage): 30m
- Incremental volume growth 2025-2030 to come from APAC: 38%
- Growth CAGR in retail volume term 2025-2030: +1.5%
Regional industry composition and evolution
- Toilet paper leads tissue consumption across the board
- Facial tissues marginally leads volume growth, predominantly in APAC, driven by wellness demand and beauty-inspired innovations
- Paper Towels foresees similar growth, mainly in NA and WE, due to increased use occasions and product variety
The consumer landscape and key trends
- Consumers continue to focus on affordability and simultaneously demand enhanced value
- 72% of consumers are concerned about the rising cost of everyday goods
- 69% of consumers are looking for ways to simplify life
- 35% of professionals said their company plans to align innovation more with changing consumer values
Businesses have limited room to raise prices while facing rising costs and uncertainties
- Stagnating incomes: affordability remains a paramount concern for consumers
- Rising costs + uncertainties: businesses are grappling with rising costs, tariffs, and market volatility
- Squeezed profit margin: businesses can no longer pass on costs. Delivering enhanced value is imperative
- Top trends shaping consumer tissue
- Wiser wallet: affordability is only a starting point
- Price opens the door, but value secures the sale
- Relevance now comes from smarter consumption, not cheaper products
Price and quality: duality anchors product desirability
- World: product features desired, household essentials, 2026:
- Top three priorities: value for money, high quality, low price
- Last three priorities: ingredient formulation, energy efficient, sustainably produced
Redefining value through longer-lasting formats
- Peru: Elite XL marks Softys’ brand debut in the high-length segment
- US: Charmin’s “forever roll” resets toilet paper beyond regular durability
- Wiser wallets: value add needs to be communicated explicitly and credibly
- Abundance and longevity are most tangible value priorities
- Convenience will aid brands appealing to attention-scarce, time-pressured consumers
Comfort zone: mental wellbeing in vogue
- Experiential as a value differential: from functional to feel-good
- Time-saving and frictionless design for different occasions and lifestyles
- Culturally tailored sensorial cues (texture, scent or colour that evokes comfort, nostalgia and playfulness)
Occasion-targeted stress relief as a new luxury
- Germany: Essity’s Tempo “machine washable” facial tissues ease laundry anxiety
- US: Kleenex Snap & Go’s durable stylish pack to ensure on-the-go convenience
- Sensorial enhancements as premium value cues
- Japan: Daio Paper enhanced Elleair toilet paper in Japan with natural fibre softeners and fragrance-retaining film to boost softness and extend scent longevity
Comfort zone
- Engineer emotional comfort through the senses.
- Simplify routines through precision, not reduction
- Build trust via consistency and familiarity
- Eco logical: Sensibly green
- Practical approach to sustainable consumption
- Green attributes often seen as complementary benefits, not always the sole purchase motivator
Planet-friendly remains the dominant spend driver, while sustainable sourcing is the fastest-growing engine. Affordability and trust determine whether ESG strategies translate into adoption and returns. Main barriers hindering sustainable purchases 2025: high price – unclear labelling – low assortment where I shop – lack of trust in sustainable claims – lower quality.
Sustainability as the new normal: making recycled easy to choose through clarity, aesthetics, and accessibility.
WEPA’s “Beige ist besser” campaign repositions natural beige aesthetics as a trusted quality signal, normalising sustainability as the category baseline.
Who Gives A Crap is scaling purpose-led, recycled and bamboo tissue from DTC into mainstream retail, pairing bold, recognisable branding with transparent social impact.
Eco Logical
- Leverage sustainability claims with strong consumer resonance in your category and market
- Solutions that are affordable and sustainable are ideal
- Integrate sustainability with functional benefits for easier adoption
Business implications
Redefine value beyond price: move from low-price signalling to clearly articulated benefits, durability, longevity, convenience, and emotional reassurance that justify choice in a tight wallet environment. Compete on emotional utility as much as function: embed comfort, familiarity, and stress-reducing cues into everyday products to strengthen relevance and loyalty in an anxious, value-conscious world. Design for wiser wallets, not cheaper baskets: prioritise longer-lasting formats and smarter pack architecture that reduce replacement frequency, shopping trips, and decision fatigue. Scale sustainability only where it strengthens core value: treat planet-friendly as entry stakes, but prioritise affordable, trusted sourcing and packaging claims that reinforce performance and core value.
