• A plant in Africa is being used sustainably in washrooms and has the potential to become an alternative to toilet paper made from wood pulp.
• Increasing awareness is important for the plant's wider adoption.
• Challenges exist, including cultural barriers and stereotypes.

Across the world, approximately 1 million trees are cut down for various needs every year, and making toilet rolls is one of them.

If you want to lead a sustainable life and learn the environmental impact of your toilet tissue, here is a story from Africa for inspiration, where a leafy plant is being used as a natural alternative to toilet paper.

Have you ever considered the environmental impact of everyday toilet tissue in your washrooms?

When trees are felled to produce the tissue in our homes, offices, malls, and other places, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and environmental damage happen elsewhere in the world, particularly in emerging regions. Consequently, innocent and impoverished people there bear the brunt of such decisions.

Traditionally, toilet papers are made from wood pulp, which involves high cost and environmental damage. To resolve this issue, some individuals, like Benjamin Mutembei from Kenya, have come up with a more sustainable and cost-effective solution by planting Plectranthus barbatus on their land.

This plant, inherently soft with a minty, slightly lemony, and refreshing aroma, grows quickly, making it suitable for hygiene purposes. It is endemic to warm climates and reaches its full height in a few months. The leaves are the size of standard toilet paper squares with a soft and tender texture.

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Mutembei has been using this plant for decades and only buys toilet paper when his plant supply runs low. With the cost of wood pulp rising, this alternative is becoming more appealing to people in Kenya and other parts of Africa.

Notwithstanding its potential, challenges exist for its wider adoption. The international toilet paper market is dominated by wood-based products, and large-scale production of plant-based alternatives is still a long way off. Incidentally, some producers, like WEPA in Europe, manufacture toilet paper from recycled materials to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact. However, traditional water systems in many countries are not compatible with plant-based materials.

Environmentalists and researchers say the plant has great potential as a green alternative. Robin Greenfield, a Florida-based activist, is promoting the use of Plectranthus barbatus in the US and distributing the plant to people to grow their own toilet paper.

Nevertheless, public aversion still exists, and many people associate leaf-based hygiene with poverty. In some quarters of Africa, the plant is identified as invasive, meaning its growth should be restricted. However, scientists guarantee that thoughtful management, through controlled planting, could minimise its ecological risks.

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Despite these worries, proponents are hopeful about Plectranthus barbatus' prospects. For example, Martin Odhiambo in Kenya has been educating people about the plant’s benefits, and local communities are keen on its cultivation. But mainstream adoption takes some more time. Till then, experts believe increasing awareness and acceptance will support broader use, especially in regions where the plant is abundant and thriving.

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Source: BBC