In a supermarket first, Tesco is rolling out a new range of toilet roll and kitchen towel made from recycled cardboard* and recycled pulp. These new, 100% recycled paper products, far from being bog-standard, are soft and absorbent.
Tesco and its supplier, WEPA, have invested in innovative 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.
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 innovative pulp production process uses less water, chemicals and energy compared to using traditional tree fibre as the raw material. 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 will hit shelves in 100 Tesco Extra stores across the country from the start of February with more to follow. 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
The recycled cardboard content accounts for a minimum of 70%, with the remainder of the pulp being from other recycled paper sources. All Tesco Own Brand toilet roll and kitchen towel is FSC certified.