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

WEPA UK has been stockpilling 3.5m toilet and kitchen rolls in its warehouses during the past four months in case of a no-deal Brexit.

It is hoped that the extra 600 tonnes will safeguard supplies in Britain.
Mike Docker, managing director of WEPA UK, said: “We have an end-to-end plan to make sure our supermarket customers do not run out of stock onshelf as a result of a no-deal Brexit.

“We are dealing very closely with our customers through our supply chain and our commercial teams to ensure that supply continues to meet demand.”

He added that the industry is pretty reliant on imports: “We’ve been planning for Brexit since August last year to make sure we maintain our levels of service.

“What we’ve concentrated on is the potential of a hard Brexit. That’s the worst-case scenario for us, where we’d probably see major delays at the border.”

The company has also built six weeks’ supplies of the cardboard core used inside toilet and kitchen rolls, as this cannot be sourced from the UK in sufficient quantities and is imported from EU countries.

Docker added: “The new delay in the Brexit deadline will not change our approach and planning for all eventualities will help safeguard customer supply.”

UK businesses fear that customs checks introduced after a no-deal Brexit could lead to lengthy delays and drive up the cost of materials