British supermarket chain Tesco has partnered with tissue manufacturer WEPA to introduce a range of premium toilet roll and kitchen towel products made from recycled corrugated cardboard* and recycled pulp.
Tesco said the move is “a supermarket first”, after the company and WEPA investigated the technology that makes it possible to turn thousands of tonnes of corrugated cardboard – in part from the rapid growth since the pandemic of home delivery services – into soft toilet roll and absorbent kitchen towel.
The recycled cardboard such as home delivery boxes and corrugated card from supermarkets is combined with other recycled paper sources, mixed with water to create a pulp, and cleaned to create suitable fibres for use in paper production.
The innovative pulp production process uses less water, chemicals and energy compared to using traditional tree fibre as the raw material.
Household Category Director, Philip Banks, said: “The explosion of home deliveries since the pandemic has created an abundance of recyclable cardboard boxes right on our doorstep. “The manufacturing process our supplier has developed, that turns them into incredibly soft toilet roll and kitchen towel, allows us to create a second, sustainable use for them that couldn’t be more different.”
The paper is unbleached, giving the products their unusual beige colour.
The three new additions to Tesco’s own brand ranges of toilet roll and kitchen towel were introduced on the shelves in 100 Tesco Extra stores across the country from the start of February.
They include:
- 100% Recycled Brown Kitchen Towel
- Luxury Soft 100% Recycled Brown Toilet Tissue 4 Roll
- Luxury Soft 100% Recycled Brown Toilet Tissue 6 Long Roll.
*Tesco confirmed that the recycled cardboard content accounts for a minimum of 70%, with the remainder of the pulp being from other recycled paper sources.
It added that all Tesco own brand toilet roll and kitchen towel is FSC-certified.
