Is bamboo toilet paper better than regular (virgin wood) toilet paper?
On sustainability, yes, fairly clearly. Regular toilet paper is usually made from virgin wood pulp, which means trees are felled and replanted. If you ask us, we think trees have better things to do than swirling down the loo…
Bamboo is a grass: it's one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth and it regrows from its own root system after harvesting. In Cheeky Panda's cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment, bamboo rolls came out 24% lower in carbon than virgin tree-based paper, alongside big water and land savings (below). On feel, quality bamboo is typically as soft as (or softer than) standard virgin-wood rolls. Ours backs that up: Cheeky Panda scored a top 5/5 for comfort in Which?'s toilet-roll test (a Best Buy and Eco Buy).
Is bamboo toilet paper better than recycled?
Recycled toilet paper is appealing because it reuses fibre that already exists, so no new trees or bamboo need to be grown for it. Its downsides are that high-quality recycled fibre is increasingly scarce, the recycling process relies on de-inking, and as a result, recycled paper can carry traces of chemicals like BPA or PFAS “forever chemicals” from its previous life.
There's also a catch hidden in the word "recycled": it matters whether the fibre is post-consumer (paper people actually used and binned, genuinely diverted from landfill) or pre-consumer (factory offcuts that would likely have been reused anyway). A pack can claim "recycled" while leaning on pre-consumer content. The meaningful measure is a high share of post-consumer recycled content, which is worth checking on the pack.
Bamboo is a fresh, fast-regrowing fibre that's naturally soft and, in Cheeky Panda's cradle-to-gate LCA, came out 45% lower in carbon than recycled paper. Based on that assessment, Cheeky Panda bamboo toilet paper edges recycled on carbon, and, according to Which?, on softness as well, with Cheeky Panda achieving the top grade of 5/5 on comfort and recognised with both a Best Buy and an Eco Buy award.
→ More detail in our Truth About Bamboo Toilet Paper
Is bamboo toilet paper better for the environment?
For Cheeky Panda’s, that impact is measured, not asserted. We commissioned independent life-cycle assessments (by Carbon Footprint Ltd and L.C.D. Consulting) comparing our bamboo rolls to a UK industry-average toilet roll (17% recycled, 83% virgin wood). Across the board, the report found substantial savings:
- 85% less water use
- 95% less land use
- 45% less carbon than recycled paper, and 24% less than virgin wood (cradle-to-gate)
- Impacts to species 73% lower and impacts to human health 63% lower
- A perfect biodiversity score (MSA 1) versus 0.2 for single-species managed forests. MSA stands for Mean Species Abundance and is an indicator used to measure the impact of changes in an ecosystem’s species (against a “pristine” state without those changes taking place).
- Savings of 35–99% across most of the 18 impact categories assessed
On top of the product footprint, our overall carbon footprint is measured to ISO 14064, independently verified by Neutral Carbon Zone, and certified NCZ Platinum, and to date, our bamboo has helped save over 225,000 trees across 100 million rolls sold.
→ See our carbon footprint assessment and impact report for the full details.
The honest caveat: these figures are for Cheeky Panda's rolls against a defined industry-average comparator, on a cradle-to-gate basis. Bamboo's benefits depend on the product genuinely being bamboo and responsibly made, which is exactly why the "is this really bamboo?" question below matters.
Is bamboo toilet paper softer, or better for sensitive skin?
Often, yes. Bamboo fibres are naturally long and smooth, which tends to make for a soft sheet. Independent testing bears this out for ours: Cheeky Panda scored a top 5/5 for comfort in Which?'s toilet-roll test, on the way to being a Which? Best Buy and Eco Buy.
Quality bamboo rolls are also usually free from added fragrance, dyes and harsh chlorine bleaching, and ours are dermatologically tested, making them a soft, plant-based choice for people with sensitive skin. One customer even shared how she'd struggled with skin irritation for more than 12 years before finding a tissue that suited her. You can read her story here. Everyone's skin is different, though, so it's about comfort, not a health claim.
Is bamboo toilet paper septic-safe, or does it clog?
Quality bamboo toilet paper is designed to break down quickly, so it's generally fine for plumbing and septic systems, but it does vary by brand, so check the pack.
The key is dispersal: a good bamboo roll should disintegrate soon after flushing rather than holding together. Ours does: in our own disintegration testing, it begins breaking apart in under seven seconds.
If you're on a septic system, look for a roll that specifically states it's suitable (not just "biodegradable" or "eco-friendly").
→ Learn more in our does bamboo toilet paper clog your toilet? piece.
Is bamboo toilet paper worth the extra cost?
When you buy it, the pack might cost a little more, but in some cases, it might actually save you money in the long term.
Quality bamboo rolls (like Cheeky Panda’s double rolls) are dense and hold a lot of paper. That means they last longer than regular rolls, so you buy fewer over a year.
When you look at value in use, Cheeky Panda's double-length bamboo works out around 15% cheaper per year than the leading brand (more on the method in our best-value toilet paper piece). So the honest answer: a higher shelf price, often lower real cost.
Are there downsides to bamboo toilet paper?
Yes, and it's only fair to name them:
- The price might be higher at the till (though Cheeky Panda might save you money in the long run).
- It travels from China (and it’s hard to compare fairly). We're upfront that our bamboo is grown and processed in China, so there's shipping involved. But most conventional and recycled brands don't disclose where their raw materials come from or how they're transported, so a true like-for-like comparison of transport footprints is rarely possible
- Not every "bamboo" roll is actually bamboo. A Which? investigation found 60% of bamboo brands contained more tree fibre than bamboo, so the "bamboo" label alone isn't a guarantee. Look for FSC certification, genuine supply-chain control and independent testing. Cheeky Panda's rolls are 100% bamboo, with our bamboo content confirmed by Which?
So, is bamboo toilet paper better?
For most people, on the things that matter most: softness, no trees swirling down the loo, land and water use for production, and (with a quality roll) real value over time, bamboo is the stronger everyday choice, and Cheeky Panda's is independently backed as a top choice by Which? And Good Housekeeping. Recycled remains a solid option if fibre-reuse is your priority. The one rule that applies whichever you choose: buy from a brand that can show you it's genuinely what it claims.
