Loo paper not all its cracked up to be

Consumer NZ’s test of 26 toilet papers finds that loo rolls that are kind on your skin aren’t always the kindest to the environment or your plumbing.

Consumer chief executive Jon Duffy said with the growing importance of making greener purchasing choices, there was more to picking “the best bog roll” than just comfort.

“We were especially keen to see which loo papers broke down quickest. We were surprised that the softest product, Kleenex Complete Care (extra thick sheets), took a whopping 11 minutes to disintegrate – 20 times longer than EarthCare 100% Recycled, which took 32 seconds,” Mr Duffy said.

Consumer NZ assessed separation ease, disintegration time, environmental factors and, critically, puncture resistance to produce its toilet paper ratings.

“Products containing recycled or sustainably sourced paper or that are manufactured in New Zealand using locally sourced raw materials were awarded higher scores.”

Printed, perfumed and bleached products lost points because of the additional environmental impacts of these processes.

“We think manufacturers should be minimising unnecessary features in products where those features consume extra resources.”

Consumer NZ also considered softness, but it wasn’t included in its overall rating.

“It’s a sensitive area and results vary depending on whether the user is a folder or a scruncher. We didn’t want to give anyone a bum steer,” Mr Duffy said.

The good news is there are products that have a lower environmental impact and allow consumers to take the time to treat themselves to a higher level of comfort.

Of the 26 products tested, 10 got Consumer NZ’s recommendation. These were:

• Earthcare 100% recycled unscented white rolls
• Savers Printed toilet tissue
• Sorbent Silky White long rolls
• Sorbent Thick & Long Silky White (king size)
• EarthSmart 360º Recyclable Paper Pack 100% Recycled Paper long rolls
• Purex Soft White
• Quilton Hypo-allergenic unscented
• Sorbent Hypo-allergenic Thick & Large (king size)
• Quilton Ecoply (unscented)
• Sorbent Hypo-allergenic Pure White long rolls