Asda has become the first UK supermarket to update all of its own-brand toilet rolls to double its previous length, which will see it remove 74 tonnes of plastic and save 760 tonnes of cardboard a year.
The Big 4 grocer is making the move to reduce the number of rolls per pack on one of its most popular own-brand products, significantly reducing its packaging and removing over 1,200 lorries from the road each year.
The new Shades Double Toilet Rolls, which are FSC accredited, will be available in-store and online from today and are available across all seven existing toilet roll lines.
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Asda’s new toilet roll plastic packaging is recyclable at over 150 Asda stores, meaning customers can take it to one of its front-of-store recycling points to reduce the impact on the environment.
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. The update is matching Asda’s Just Essential toilet rolls, which already come in double roll format.
The packs, which are made from 30% recycled content, will also show Asda’s support for cancer charity Bowel Cancer UK’s #GetOnARoll campaign, increasing customer awareness with a QR code where consumers can find out more.
In addition, the supermarket chain 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.
“Shades toilet rolls are one of our most popular own-brand products,” Asda buying manager of household paper Sarah Yorke said.
She added: “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 news comes as Asda has returned to sales growth for the first time this year, posting its strongest quarterly performance since Q1 2021 as its focus on value attracted 400,000 new shoppers from other supermarkets.
