Naked Sprout, Who Gives A Crap & Bazoo Bamboo Toilet Paper Review
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Best Bamboo Toilet Paper Review
I Tried The Zero Wasted Top 3 Bamboo Toilet Rolls
In this post I do a full review of the top three contenders from our Best Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper shopping guide: Bazoo, Naked Sprout and Who Gives a Crap (Bamboo). Points will be awarded based on softness and strength, packaging, carbon footprint, charitable giving and value for money. Here's a quick glance at each brand:
Is Bamboo Toilet Paper Better?
In a nutshell, yes. It's softer, more sustainable and way better for the environment than regular toilet paper made from trees (wood pulp), and inches out as the winner even against 100% recycled toilet paper. It absorbs 30% more carbon dioxide, and produces 35% more oxygen than trees.
SUSTAINABILITY
Bamboo is a highly renewable resource that is the quickest growing plant in the world - it can grow up to 35 inches per day! As it grows so fast (30 x faster than trees) it can be easily replenished to avoid over consumption and only needs rain water to grow.
SOFTNESS
Usually much softer and stronger than recycled or even regular toilet paper, giving you the most comfort and absorbency you need. They're also suitable for alternative toilets including composting, and sensitive systems like septic tanks.
EMISSIONS
Toilet paper made from bamboo produces 30% less carbon emissions that recycled toilet paper, and 65% less than regular! Find out more about how each brand are tackling their carbon footprint below.
'Bleached' vs. Unbleached Toilet Paper
Bamboo loo roll uses less chemicals than toilet paper made from trees. It also requires no fertilisers or pesticides to grow. All brands are free from the traditional chlorine (bleach). Here's the low-down on what they use:
1. NAKED SPROUT
They only do naked unbleached rolls with zero, zilch, nada additives, bleach or chemicals. As pure as they come.
2. BAZOO
Bazoo use a TCF (totally chlorine-free) process for their white rolls, which is produced naturally by plants and animals. Their unbleached rolls use absolutely nothing - they are all natural.
3. WHO GIVES A CRAP
Who Gives A Crap use ECF (elemental chlorine free) which uses chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to whiten their bamboo loo rolls. They say “Our chlorine, unlike its traditional cousin, is chemically bound to oxygen so it doesn’t bioaccumulate. That means living things don’t absorb it, so it’s a lot better for the environment.”
Carbon Footprint
All three toilet papers are made from bamboo which in itself is the most sustainable option for toilet paper, but who comes out top?
1. NAKED SPROUT
Naked Sprout are committed to reducing their carbon footprint as much as possible so they use sea freight to ship directly to the port local to their warehouse. They also deliver using DPD, the UK's most sustainable delivery company (it's carbon neutral) and are offsetting their emissions through the World Land Trust's Carbon Balanced Programme.
2. WHO GIVES A CRAP
WGAC sea freight to each country (AU, EU, UK & USA) and distributes from there. They have carbon neutral shipping, which means shipping from the factory all the way to you is completely carbon neutral. Essentially they pay for carbon offsets that are equal to the carbon they produce. Find out more here.
3. BAZOO
Bazoo don't use a carbon offset programme, but they are committed to reducing their emissions as much as possible.
Softness & Strength
To do this I conducted a blind test with 6 family members whilst they were visiting this summer. I removed any paper wrapping and asked each of them to feel, stretch and break a sample of each and rank them from first to last in terms of softness, strength and overall best impressions. Here's the scores (full results below).
1. BAZOO
Overall winner with 20 points. It nabbed the top spot for 3 people. It's available wrapped or unwrapped.
2. WHO GIVES A CRAP
Taking the top spot twice, WGAC's bamboo roll earned itself 15 points in total.
3. BAZOO (UNBLEACHED)
This one did peachy with 13 points. It won someone over with a top spot and came only one point behind WGAC.
4. NAKED SPROUT
Last but by no means least, Naked Sprout totalled 12 points.
Full Results
| Family Member (Age) | 1st (4 points) | 2nd (3 points) | 3rd (2 points) | 4th (1 point) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | WGAC | Bazoo | Naked Sprout | Bazoo Unbleached |
| 31 | Bazoo | WGAC | Bazoo Unbleached | Naked Sprout |
| 33 | Bazoo | Naked Sprout | Bazoo Unbleached | WGAC |
| 41 | Bazoo Unbleached | Bazoo | WGAC | Naked Sprout |
| 53 | Bazoo | Bazoo Unbleached | Naked Sprout | WGAC |
| 72 | WGAC | Naked Sprout | Bazoo | Bazoo Unbleached |
The results were all very close, and not one loo roll was a no-go for anybody. It seems there is a preference (subconscious or not) for white loo rolls but after the results were in, not one person said they'd be opposed to using unbleached.
Packaging
All three brands are 100% plastic free and have recyclable shipping boxes. When it comes to individually wrapped loo rolls, some loved it, some thought it was somewhat unnecessary. However, the positive reasoning is that it can really help drive word of mouth and convert people into buying better when it comes to toilet roll. My nephew also said it "felt like opening a present" - can't argue with that!
1. BAZOO
Oh Bazoo, you know how to please. They offer both wrapped or unwrapped rolls and even include 1 wrapped roll in every unwrapped box to put on show or gift to help spread the word! They got the top vote with the family as they put their paper wrapping to good use in informing people about endangered animals and climate change.
2. NAKED SPROUT
Zero waste wise, Naked Sprout are truly minimalist. Unbleached, unwrapped and keeping things simple.
3. WHO GIVES A CRAP
All WGAC's rolls are wrapped. They say it keeps all the rolls nice and clean and really works to push the message out there - thus helping them build more toilets (more on this below).
Charitable Giving
All three loo roll brands are making a positive impact. By simply buying an everyday essential means you'll be helping their efforts go even further. Here's who they're supporting:
1. WHO GIVES A CRAP
We've got to hand it to WGAC, they've been donating 50% of their profits to help build toilets since they started in 2013. To date they've donated over 5 million pounds to their amazing partners.
2. BAZOO
Every time you buy Bazoo toilet paper they protect 100m2 of endangered habitat via their partnership with Rainforest Trust UK. Their work helps preserve land, oceanic eco-systems and animals affected by deforestation and climate change. So far Bazoo has protected almost 1,500,000 m2 of endangered habitat.
3. NAKED SPROUT
Naked Sprout work with Just a Drop as their charity partner. Every purchase from them provides a child in Kenya safe water at school for one year.
Value for Money
Let's compare all three brands using their 48 pack toilet paper boxes on subscription and compare this to the most bought toilet paper brand in the UK for comparison, Andrex. Their Supreme Quilts 16 roll pack is 4-ply, with 160 sheets per roll and works out at 37p per 100 sheets. All three come way below this:
The Final Verdict
All 3 bamboo toilet roll brands are great choices for the planet. What will you go for?
1. Bazoo
Best for softness + protecting wildlife
They're a small British startup that came top of our strength and softness test and also the most affordable (best value is a box of unwrapped 48 rolls). They're partnership with the Rainforest Trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves. Bazoo also aim to please everyones bums by offering wrapped, unwrapped, white or unbleached rolls.
Available in boxes of 24 or 48 rolls of toilet paper.
BAZOO DISCOUNT CODE: GET £10 OFF YOUR FIRST 48 ROLL SUBSCRIPTION BOX WITH OUR REFERRAL LINK:
2. Naked Sprout
Best for B Corp unbleached loo rolls
Naked Sprout keep things simple and natural with unwrapped and unbleached rolls and every purchase provides a child in Kenya safe water at school for 1 year. Earn points with every purchase you make using their Sprout Points loyalty scheme.
Available in boxes of 24, 48 or 96 rolls of toilet paper.
NAKED SPROUT DISCOUNT CODE: 10% OFF WITH ZEROWASTED
3. Who Gives A Crap
Best for charitable giving
Who Gives A Crap came second in our strength and softness test and have a solid social mission at the heart of their brand. They donate 50% of profits to ensure everyone has access to clean water and a toilet within our lifetime. They're also a Certified B Corp.
Available in boxes of 24 or 48 rolls of toilet paper.
WHO GIVES A CRAP DISCOUNT CODE: £5 OFF SUBSCRIPTION ORDERS WITH TP4EVA
Looking for a toilet paper that isn't listed? Check out our Best Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper shopping guide for the full list.
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