The Good Roll is an eco-positive toilet paper brand. The product itself is the most sustainable toilet paper I could find on the market. And besides that, they use a part of their profit to make the world a better place. With half of the profits they built toilets for people in need. Being sustainable in the core and then using the profit to do something good, that to me is the definition of eco-positive toilet paper. Let me tell you all about The Good Roll in this post.
The Good Roll
The Good Roll, as I said, is in its core a sustainable product. It has six basic characteristics I find really important. Firstly, it is a brand that uses 100% recycled material, they recycle paper. No new resources are needed, which is amazing. Second, the brand does not bleach, paint or add a smell to its toiletpaper. I mean, I literally use toilet paper to wipe my butt. Why would we make it white and smelling like roses? It’s a waste of resources. Thirdly, The Good Roll is made in Europe, in Germany and The Netherlands. And in Europe we have good laws to protect both the environment and workers.
Plastic Free and Ethical
Point four, The Good Roll is packed plastic-free. And as far as I know, it is the only brand in The Netherlands which does so. Most toiletpaper is packed in plastic bags. And as you might know, plastic sucks. Another great thing: The Good Roll is packed in cheerful paper wrappers. It’s a party on your toilet! Every roll has a different wrapper. I personally reuse that wrapper for when I have gifts that need to be wrapped. Underneath that cheerful wrapper there is just a plain toilet roll, the one we all know.
Then, last but not least, The Good Roll is wrapped and packed in The Netherlands. That itself is not so special, but the special part is that the company hires people who have difficulties finding a job. This can have numerous reasons. People who are homeless, which have mental or physical disabilities or just have a difficult situation. 75 people are employed in this social working place.
Eco-positive
So that was all about the basic product. The core product is just the most sustainable product there is on the market right now. That is part one of why The Good Roll toilet paper is eco-positive. The base is all good, which makes it eco-neutral. But next comes the part which makes The Good Roll eco-positive: they donate 50% of their profits to their foundation, Foundation The Good Roll. And this foundation built toilets for people in need in Ghana. 2,4 billion people on this planet have no access to clean toilets and that needs to change.
So far they’ve built 233 toilets. I find that amazing!
Recycled, but no bamboo
There is one point of criticism I have. The Good Roll has recently launched a new line of toilet paper, which is made out of bamboo. I would not recommend you to buy the bamboo line. The bamboo they use is produced in China and from everything I’ve seen and researched so far, this is never done in a responsible way. The laws in China are just not strict enough to protect the workers nor the environment. So this is an important note from me to you: only choose the toilet paper from The Good Roll which is made in Europe out of 100% recycled paper. I always go with The Cheerful Choose, one of their products.
Consumerism
I am against consumerism and so I try to not encourage you to buy things. But that is mostly when it comes to physical stuff. New clothing, electronics, furniture and all that. Today’s post is different, because I am sharing a toilet paper brand. And with every product I list in this category of sustainable brands I think: ‘do I, and therefore other people, really need this?’. When it comes to toilet paper the answer to that question is yes.
There is however one other option, the bidet. That is a special toilet which uses water to clean your genitals, instead of toilet paper. But I think I would personally not like that, since my genitals then would be all wet after using the bathroom. And so, I would eventually still need something to dry them. Maybe a washcloth could be a solution there. But for now, and I think for a lot of people, toilet paper is something I need (since I don’t own a bidet). It’s not something I can choose not to buy.
Transparency
Lastly, I want to say a one more thing. I highly value that The Good Roll is a very transparent company. You can read all about their way of working and thinking on The Good Roll’s website and yearly reports.
I hope you will consider buying eco-positive toilet paper at The Good Roll!
Your sincerely,
Romee