Asda becomes UK’s first supermarket to double the amount of toilet paper per roll in an effort to reduce plastic and cardboard waste

Image by Asda

Asda has become the first UK supermarket to change all of its own brand toilet rolls to double length in a move which will see it remove 74 tonnes of plastic and save 760 tonnes of cardboard a year.

The supermarket giant, owned by brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, has doubled the amount of toilet paper per roll and reduced the number of rolls per pack on one of its most popular own brand products, significantly reducing its cardboard and plastic usage in the process and removing over 1200 lorries from the road each year.

The new Shades double toilet rolls, which are FSC accredited, are now available in-store and online and are available across all seven existing lines as well as a new pack size on its popular Quilts and Coconut fragranced packs. Sizes start with a multipack of two double rolls which equates to the same quantity of sheets in a four-pack of standard toilet rolls. Asda’s Just Essential toilet rolls already come in double roll format.

Doubling the rolls’ length helps customers reduce their own plastic waste, while Asda’s toilet roll plastic packaging is recyclable at over 150 Asda stores, so customers can simply bring it to one of its front-of-store plastic bag and wrappings recycling points ensuring the packaging is recycled and reducing their impact on the environment.

Sarah Yorke, Buying Manager – Household Paper, at Asda, said, “Shades toilet rolls are one of our most popular own-brand products so to be able to make this change and help reduce both our customers and our own carbon footprint without affecting the great quality of our product in any way is an incredibly important step for us.”

The packs, which are made from 30% recycled content, will also show Asda’s support for Bowel Cancer UK’s #GetOnARoll campaign, increasing customer awareness by putting signs and symptoms of bowel cancer on Shades and Just Essentials toilet roll packaging. The packaging also includes a QR code for customers to find out more.

In addition, Asda donated £50,000 to the charity to help fund future initiatives to save lives and improve the quality of life of those affected by bowel cancer.