Living with Plastic: Why Reduction is Necessary

In our fast-paced and modern world, plastic is everywhere. It’s simply unavoidable, from the bag of your favorite chips to the clothes you wear and even the indispensable technology we use every day. But let’s face it, it also causes a lot of misery for Mother Nature and our own health. That’s why we need to change this. The Good Roll has already started!

Why we at The Good Roll are crazy about reducing plastic

Plastic is a huge problem for our planet. Most of it is not recyclable and often ends up in our beautiful oceans, creating a gigantic and toxic plastic soup over the years. Because there are types of plastic that can leak nasty chemicals, this is not only disastrous for our seas and all their inhabitants, but ultimately also for human health. The toxic substances can eventually end up in our food, drinking water and air. In addition, the production of plastic consumes a huge amount of energy and fossil fuels, which contributes significantly to global warming - and of course we don't want that! But the biggest problem with plastic? That it hangs around forever. Despite the fact that plastic packaging can be broken down, it never completely disintegrates: the elusive microplastics remain.

These microplastics are a major problem in our global ecosystems. They are super small pieces of plastic, even smaller than a pinhead. They can come from anywhere, such as pieces that were once larger plastic, tiny plastic balls in cosmetics, fibers from synthetic clothing, and even from industrial processes. The annoying thing? Once these microplastics end up in nature, they can stay there for a long time and cause a lot of damage to nature and our health. These tiny particles nestle everywhere in nature, including eating animals. The particles can ultimately be swallowed by animals, accumulate in the bodies of animals, after which humans also ingest the microplastics through eating the animals. In short: the microplastics end up in the food chain. Microplastics can therefore negatively affect entire natural chains in both oceans and on land.

Did you know that even toilet paper can be part of the microplastic problem in the environment? Fortunately, there are already many toilet paper brands that are seriously working on developing a more environmentally friendly alternative. For example, they carefully select their recycled materials and do their best to keep the amount of microplastics in their toilet paper as low as possible. This is also the case at The Good Roll. We strive not to add microplastics to our products, in order to contribute to the reduction of plastic.

Our role in plastic reduction

At The Good Roll we believe that plastic itself is not necessarily bad, but that the problems mainly arise from how we deal with it and how we process it.

Sustainability is central to everything we do. We strive for maximum environmental friendliness, especially in the production of our own products. But we are not going to deny it: plastic is still present in our production chain. We receive some of our products in plastic packaging, which is mandatory due to European hygiene regulations. It is also important to know that some of our suppliers do not yet offer alternatives to plastic packaging. But as soon as those products arrive and we get to work, we make sure that we separate the plastic waste in the right way. Then the waste collector, Milieu Service Nederland, comes into action. They ensure that the plastic is transformed into a super pure raw material, up to 99% pure! In this way we contribute to the reduction of plastic, because we reuse it as a building material. In this way we keep the raw materials in the cycle, and that is what we do it for. Good start, right?

Our toilet paper is made with love for our planet. For example, our bamboo toilet paper is completely plastic-free in the entire production process: it is 100% plastic-free and is much more sustainable than a random store brand toilet roll. We also actively encourage our customers to give those empty cardboard tubes a second life. It's those small steps that can have a big impact on our world! Our commitment to reducing our ecological footprint is reflected in our sustainable production processes and our commitment to using renewable energy sources whenever possible. We believe that creating a cleaner world starts with ourselves. But that's not all. We donate 50% of our profits to projects that promote access to clean water in developing countries. We understand how crucial clean drinking water is and how plastic waste is often a threat.

At The Good Roll we believe that even the smallest changes can have a big impact on our planet. Together we can create a world where sustainability and care for the environment are the norm. Will you roll with us?