When you wipe your bum every day do you consider the environmental impact of the toilet paper? Living a more sustainable life affects every aspect of it, including what you use to wipe your bum with!
The answer to a sustainable bathroom isn’t a bum gun or a reusable cloth (kudos if that is what you do!) but it could be in toilet paper made out of hemp instead of trees.
Hemp toilet paper is a great alternative to reverting back to less modern bum wiping methods like your hand and water! Hemp toilet paper is the most sustainable option that will keep your bum and the planet healthy and clean.
So what is hemp toilet paper?
Hemp toilet paper is simply toilet paper made out of hemp which is also known as cannabis. The process to turn hemp into paper is relatively straightforward and much less toxic than conventional toilet paper.
Hemp cellulose fibres get turned into pulp, the pulp is then flattened and dried into a thin sheet of tissue that can be turned into single, double or multiple-ply hemp toilet paper rolls. Trees and bamboo go through a similar process but since they are made from hardwood the process to turn the paper soft usually requires more chemical processes. Hemp doesn’t need any of this!
Conventional toilet paper products are bleached to remove lignin by using harsh chemicals that can leach toxins like chlorine and dioxin into our waterways. Because of hemp’s chemical composition and its lower lignin concentration, lignin can be removed through an environmentally friendly process of oxygen autohydrolysis.
Hemp toilet paper isn’t mainstream yet but making paper out of hemp is anything but new! Paper has been made out of hemp for thousands of years- the first pieces of paper ever made (that we know of) were made out of hemp which was accomplished by the Chinese over 2000 years ago.
In the 1700s American farmers were legally required to grow hemp for paper and other materials like ropes. Up until the end of the 20th century, 75% to 90% of worldwide paper production came from hemp. The reason why this dropped off is a whole other story involving lobbying by the oil and paper mill industries and the war on drugs!
Why make the effort to buy hemp toilet paper?
One of the biggest reasons to consider buying hemp toilet paper is to offset the high demand for regular toilet paper which generates a sh*t load of waste and is environmentally unsustainable to produce. In the west, we love toilet paper and we go through a lot of it- which is an issue for sustainability.
Since toilet paper is highly demanded, it’s essential to switch to a more sustainable option like hemp to increase demand for sustainable options. Because with extra demand will come extra supply and reduce the production of conventional toilet paper. Don’t underestimate the impact your individual decisions have!
Hemp toilet paper is more sustainable in all aspects from growing, processing and decomposing.
But reducing the dependency and demand for conventional toilet paper isn’t the only reason to buy hemp toilet paper, there are way more benefits. Read on to find out what they are.
There are SO many more benefits to using hemp toilet paper, continue reading to learn more!
Benefits of using hemp toilet paper
Hemp toilet paper is soft
Hemp toilet paper is made of naturally soft bast fibres which are made form the soft inner parts of a plants stalk or stem. Their softness distinguishes them from the coarser leaf fibres. This is why materials made from hemp are soft on your skin
Hemp toilet paper is strong, durable and absorbent
Hemp produces the strongest and most durable natural fibre and can absorb five times its weight in water! Hemp does not falter on its quality in comparison to regular toilet paper.
Hemp toilet paper is antibacterial
Hemp contains over 500 natural compounds including cannabinoids and alkaloids and other bioactive components which show antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria.
Since hemp is naturally antibacterial when you wipe with it you will be getting a better clean. This is super important for women who are susceptible to UTI infections.
Regular toilet paper can cause all types of infections and skin sensitivities including allergic reactions, yeast infections, UTIs and puffiness.
Hemp toilet paper is renewable
Hemp can be harvested in as little as 4 months. When you look at the paper industry hemp can be recycled 7 times versus only 3 times for paper from wood. Trees planted for paper production take a minimum of approximately 8-20 years until they are ready to be harvested- making them a significantly lower renewability rate than hemp.
Hemp paper can be recycled to make hemp toilet paper. Since hemp paper can be recycled many more times than wood pulp it makes new and recycled hemp toilet paper a more environmentally friendly option.
Hemp toilet paper is biodegradable
Harmful chemicals and toxins aren’t needed to produce hemp products which make them safe to biodegrade back into the soil. Hemp clothing can be composted and hemp plastic is biodegradable.
Regular toilet paper is biodegradable too but it takes longer to breakdown and uses considerably more water to do so. Regular toilet paper also involves chemical processing which can lead to the soil. Hemp is much safer on the soil as is breaks down
Hemp toilet paper protects your environment and your septic tank too! It’s biodegradability also makes it a great option for camping.
Hemp toilet paper can help save the land and reduce deforestation
One acre of hemp can produce as much pulp for paper as more than four acres of trees! Switching to hemp toilet paper can save the land and stop that clearing of forest and natural habitats. When you use conventional toilet paper you are literally flushing trees down the toilet!
Have you ever really thought about where your toilet paper comes from and how it was produced? Most people don’t give it much thought. In some countries like Canada, toilet paper production negatively impacts indigenous people and leading to a decline in wildlife.
Maintaining our forests is also essential for fighting climate change since tree absorb CO2. Toilet paper consumption is impacting native forest worldwide
One acre of hemp can produce as much pulp for paper as more than four acres of trees. Not only can switching to hemp toilet paper save the land, but it can stop the clearing of valuable forests.
Switching to more sustainable, tree-free toilet paper options, is essential in the fight against deforestation.
Where to buy hemp toilet paper
Hemp toilet paper is far from mainstream and not easy to get your hands on. In the US you can buy online from companies like Hemp So Soft and Hempies Paper. There are suppliers selling on Alibaba but usually require massive minimum orders.
So what gives with the scarcity of hemp toilet paper?
There are so many uses for hemp products, and hemp toilet paper isn’t the only department where hemp goods aren’t as available as they should be. This is in large part because of the stigma and heavy restriction of growing and selling hemp, because of its connection to Marijuana.
Every month it seems more and more hemp and CBD products of all varieties are popping up all over the place as it becomes more accepted in society thanks to many law changes around cannabis around the world. It is only a matter of time before hemp toilet paper is in the mainstream!
