WATERFORD, N.Y.—North America’s fourth largest producer of towel and tissue paper, Cascades Tissue Group, announced the launch of Cascades Moka 100 percent recycled unbleached bathroom tissue, a first-of-its-kind product available to the Away-from-Home market. Beige in appearance, Cascades Moka offers commercial purchasers the highest hygienic qualities and softness while significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with manufacturing a highly common, yet also single-use product.
In addition to eliminating chemical whitening, Cascades’ value-added tissue product is made of a pulp mix composed of 100 percent recycled fiber, 80 percent of which is post-consumer material and 20 percent are recovered corrugated boxes. The product is also offset with 100 percent Green-e certified renewable wind electricity; saving 2,500 pounds of CO2 emissions for each ton produced.
A detailed lifecycle analysis of Moka undertaken by the company revealed a reduction in overall environmental impact by at least 25 percent when compared to Cascades’ 100 percent recycled fiber bathroom tissue, which has been regarded as a sustainable tissue exemplar in recent years but includes a chlorine-free whitening process for aesthetics.
Recycled Tissue’s Huge Potential
Currently, 3.4 million tons of bath tissue is used annually in the United States, of which 53 percent is made from virgin fiber sources. Cascades estimates that if a complete swap was made to their environmentally preferable 100 percent recycled bath tissue, it would save annually 30.6 million trees and 68 million GJ of energy, which is equal to the annual consumption of 619,811 households. The new pulp mix in the Cascades Moka innovation goes even further than the standard white recycled pulp because of its lower ecological footprint.
“Beige is the new green, at least as it relates to towel and tissue,” said Cascades Tissue Group CEO Suzanne Blanchet, who personally conceived and championed Moka bath tissue’s development. “The last several years have brought about countless habit changes meant to preserve the environment. The quality of this bath tissue hasn’t been sacrificed one bit, so adjusting to a new color seems like a small step to take for even greater sustainability.”
“There’s lots of talk about how the green movement has remained resilient in this tough economy, yet it’s easier to overlook how much of a trendsetter it’s also been in recalibrating views and tastes,” said Blanchet. “The change may seem radical to some, but at the end of the day, beige fits just as well in most commercial restroom décors and it certainly works much better for the health of our planet.”
‘Green’ Napkin Sales on the Rise
Cascades started offering its Moka concept with the introduction of its Moka napkin line in the late ‘90s. Commercial sales for the product have steadily increased year by year, as corporate purchasers and their employees and customers become more aware of its environmental benefits. In 2004, the Moka napkin line represented 10 percent of its total away-from-home sales in North America whereas it now comprises more than 23 percent of case sales.
The company believes that the commercial market will continue to serve as the first frontier for sustainable innovations, as people evolve their tastes and habits out in public before modifying behaviors at home.
While the recycled bath tissue is still cleaned and de-inked, the elimination of the whitening process ultimately reduces manufacturing impact associated to the elimination of natural gas and whitening chemicals. Virgin pulp prices have more than doubled over the past three years, invoking price increases in recycled fiber as well. By expanding to varied and more fibers such as corrugated, Cascades believes it can hedge its products’ exposure to commodity price fluctuations and white fiber shortages outside its control, keeping tissue prices affordable in its served markets.
Go to Cascades Tissue Group.
