Tissue World Magazine
Alexandra Stuthridge, Technical Business Manager, BioProducts Institute (BPI)

(News from RISI) – Georgia-Pacific (GP) is understood to have filed a federal lawsuit against discount grocery chain Aldi along with Soundview Paper and Solaris Paper for allegedly “passing off its bath tissue as that” of GP’s top-selling Angel Soft, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The report alleges that GP said that Aldi’s private label Willow SoftTouch packaging carries the words “Now with 15% more sheets than Angel Soft” and “Compare to Angel Soft Bath Tissue.”
GP said the packaging imitates GP’s packaging in the colour of the label, images of clouds, a picture of a baby, and the use of the word “soft.”

GP filed the lawsuit on 16 April in US District Court in Atlanta.

Aldi, Soundview, and Solaris, which is supplied by Asia Pulp & Paper, are accused of unfair competition, federal trademark infringement, state trademark dilution, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.

GP seeks damages, and wants a federal judge to order the destruction of “all bath tissue, bags, boxes, labels, tags, signs, packages,” and other Soft Touch brand product.

Aldi operates 1,400 stores from Kansas to the US East Coast.

Since 2010, GP, North America’s largest tissue paper producer by capacity, generated $7 billion in Angel Soft toilet tissue revenue, and spent $175 million on advertising for Angel Soft.

Mike Motherwell, VP of marketing and communication for Solaris Paper in the United States told TWM: “The matter currently resides within the legal system and it would be inappropriate to comment on any specifics during this time.”