Tissue papers
Case - Published 4.7.2014
In some situations it is nearly impossible to find any sensible alternative for products made of wood. Most of us use tissue, one of the most commonly used products of forest industry, daily in toilet, kitchen or at work. According to researches, disposable paper towels are the most efficient way to dry your hands after washing. Hand hygiene is important, as four out of five influenzas are transmitted by hands. Wood fibre is a clean and safe raw material for household and hygiene products.
Tissue paper is made both from pulp i.e. fresh fibres and recycled fibres. An average Finn uses just over 15 kilograms of tissue paper each year, mainly toilet and kitchen rolls. One cubic metre of wood provides enough primary fibres for tissue paper consumed by 12 Finns in a year. The majority of recycled fibres are also used to manufacture tissue paper.
From the environmental point of view, tissue papers made from fresh and recycled fibres are equally good. The environmental load of tissue paper is very small. Did you know that the environmental impact of your annual tissue paper consumption is about the same as that of driving only 200 yards in a medium-sized family car!
In Finland, the value of the fibre-based household and hygiene products, i.e. mainly toilet and kitchen rolls, rises up to EUR 400 million each year. Over the half of our annual tissue production is consumed in Finland, and nearly half of production is exported.
Tissue papers are consumed at varying rates around Europe. The lowest figure is 2 kg per person and the highest is 18 kg per person per year. In areas with rising living standards, growing population and increasing urbanisation, the demand for household and hygiene products also increases. According to estimates, demand in Eastern Europe is growing by over five percent per year, and in Asia the rate is even higher. Whereas countries in east with rapidly rising living standards consume increasing volumes of hygiene products, in Western Europe, the focus is now on higher quality and more advanced products.
The portfolio contains a sample of Lambi handkerchiefs. The tissue paper manufacturing process is practically the same as with other paper products. Lambi tissue products are manufactured from pulp made from trees grown in our northern forests. In the production line, different scents are added to the tissue. The tissue paper is then cut to size, folded and packaged in pocket or handbag sized wrappers – to bring comfort to millions of Europeans in their everyday lives.
Text and photos are from the info cards in the presentation briefcase on the Finnish forest sector. The idea of a briefcase with various kinds of samples to present this diverse sector came from the young people themselves. The briefcase has been handed out at visits to upper secondary schools.
More information on the briefcase and visits: vilma.issakainen(@)smy.fi and anne.kettunen(@)forestindustries.fi.