Is all eco toilet paper made in China?

We talk a lot about the machines, ingredients, and fuel that make Naked Paper. When it comes to something as everyday as toilet paper, we think you deserve to know how it’s made.

But the where can be just as important.

People sometimes assume that because we sell bamboo products alongside our recycled range, we must make Naked Paper in China. That’s actually not the case.

The bamboo we use does come from China, but our manufacturing is based in Girona, Spain, which is also where the raw materials for our recycled products are sourced.

Why don’t we just make the whole roll in China, and what would change if we did? Let’s take a trip.

Energy used to make tissue

This is a big one, and it’s a great opportunity to explain why we manufacture in Spain rather than the UK.

Naked Paper is a UK company, and our core team lives and works here in the UK.

We chose to work with our manufacturing partner, LC Paper, in Spain for many reasons, but the big one is how they fuel their operations. Standard tissue mills dry their products from liquid pulp to smooth sheets using fossil fuels; our factory uses renewable biomass and biomethane instead.

This has a huge impact because drying the paper is the most energy-intensive part of the whole process. This means that our emissions (including all the transport) are lower than they would be if we were making our toilet paper in the UK.

While our factory goes above and beyond, the EU and UK energy grids are, in general, a significant improvement on grids elsewhere in the world. China is now considered a "clean energy powerhouse" in terms of investment for the future, but at the moment its industrial sector still relies heavily on coal.

A 2025 US study found that bamboo toilet paper produced in China could have significantly higher emissions than domestic-made paper, mainly because of that coal-reliant grid.

Chemical ingredients in toilet paper

As we said in our introduction, it’s natural to want to know what’s in the products you use every day. And in the EU, this "right to know" is strongly enforced through REACH chemical regulations.

This means that if a product contains a "Substance of Very High Concern" (SVHC), the company is legally required to tell you if you ask.

In other major tissue-exporting hubs like China and Indonesia there isn't always a public list of "concerning" chemicals, let alone a legal requirement to disclose them. Naked Paper is fully REACH compliant and contains no harsh chemicals; nothing that is persistent, bioaccumulative, or toxic. (You can see our ingredients list here).

While we’re at it, we’ve also been independently tested for PFAS and BPA, with none detected.

The water we borrow from the local river is treated and tested every quarter to make sure it meets strict quality limits before it’s returned to the source, with the local environment agency keeping a close eye on it.

Toilet paper jobs and labour

That’s the fuel and the ingredients, but what about the people?

As a manufacturing hub in the EU, our factory follows strict limits on working hours, provides mandatory personal protective equipment, and respects the right to collective bargaining. Our factory goes even further, paying at least a real Living Wage to everyone on site.

Of course many Chinese companies are excellent employers too. Our raw bamboo comes from suppliers with FSC certification, meaning that their forests are managed responsibly and farmers have safe jobs with fair pay and reasonable working hours.

But the relative lack of formal workplace regulation is part of why manufacturing in the EU is generally more expensive than in China. Most Chinese factories follow a six-day work week, independent unions are not permitted, and workers have fewer legal avenues to raise concerns about hours or safety.

Conclusion

For a long time, discussion about how we can make everyday products more sustainable has been focused on raw materials. We’re glad to see that starting to shift. In our industry, people are paying more attention not only to what toilet paper is made from, but how and where it’s made.

At Naked Paper, we are proud to manufacture in the EU. We follow all regulations and, in many cases, go beyond them.

We keep working to ensure we’re always providing the best quality tissue products, with responsibly sourced ingredients, better fuel, and good jobs for everyone who makes our rolls.

Want to try Naked Paper at home?