"100% virgin wood pulp, delicate and soft paper". Some consumers discovered when shopping that many toilet paper manufacturers have launched their products as raw wood pulp, bamboo pulp and bamboo-wood mixed pulp. What's more, some claim to be "100% virgin wood pulp." Faced with this variety of toilet paper, consumers are really confused. Which toilet paper produced from raw materials is suitable for them?

The reporter investigated the various raw materials for toilet paper

“A few days ago I went to the mall to buy toilet paper and saw that there were virgin wood pulp, original wood pulp, bamboo pulp and mixed pulp to choose from. Know which one to choose!" A few days ago, Ms. Zhang, a Chengdu citizen, was confused by the variety of raw materials when she was shopping for toilet paper in the mall. Ms. Zhang told reporters in confusion that she had no choice among the many types of pulp.

At the Isetan Hongxing Road store in Chengdu, the reporter saw that the toilet paper brands sold were mainly "Vinda" and "Weibang". The raw material used in the former is virgin wood pulp, while the latter uses bamboo pulp. The "Xinxiangyin" stacked aside indicates that 100% virgin wood pulp is used.

Almost all toilet paper brands in Ito-Yokado state that they are 100% virgin wood pulp, but if you look closely, the location of the label is different. Some are marked in the "Ingredients" column, while others appear in the "Main Ingredients" column.

The reporter then visited many supermarkets such as Trust-Mart, Renrenle, and Beijing Hualian, and found that the raw materials used in each brand of toilet paper vary greatly. The main ingredient of "Pure Point" is 100% virgin pulp, "Jierou" uses wood pulp as its main ingredient, and "Weiyi" uses bamboo and wood mixed pulp as its signature. The reporter also noticed that, except for "Pure Point", "Jierou" and "Weiyi" did not indicate the health license number of the product.

Industry secrets

The purity of wood pulp is difficult to reach 100%

With so many types of pulp, are they all high-quality products? Is the purity of 100% virgin wood pulp really 100%?

The reporter’s investigation found that not only the raw materials of various brands of toilet paper are very different, but their prices are also very different. For the same tube of 140g x 10 rolls of 100% virgin wood pulp toilet paper, the prices of well-known brands such as "Vinda" and "Xinxinxiangyin" are generally around 20-30 yuan, while those of "Pure Point" and "Jierou" The prices are mainly discounted, with a tube costing about 13-17 yuan. There are also some similar paper produced by unknown companies that are even priced lower than 13 yuan. The price difference between toilet paper, which is also made of 100% virgin wood pulp, is so huge that one can’t help but feel suspicious.

On the 10th, an unnamed person in charge of Vinda Paper told reporters that not every toilet paper brand that advertises 100% virgin wood pulp uses 100% virgin wood pulp. "The reason is very simple. Cost is a hurdle." The person in charge said that the current raw material price of raw wood pulp is about 7,000-8,000 yuan/ton, and imported ones are even more expensive. Including the cost of processing and transportation of more than 3,000-4,000 yuan/ton, the cost price of one tube of paper should be around 14-15 yuan. If the sales price is lower than this bottom line, the purity and quality of the product cannot be guaranteed.

This is true for virgin wood pulp. What about other types of pulp? The person in charge of the quality management department of Vinda Paper said that the original wood pulp used by this brand is completely extracted from wood. "In addition to wood, virgin wood pulp may also contain raw materials such as straw, cotton and linen, and the purity is definitely not as good as that of virgin wood pulp. In other words, virgin wood pulp is one level higher than virgin wood pulp." She told reporters that the purity of virgin wood pulp The cost is much more expensive than virgin wood pulp, and it is non-toxic, harmless, environmentally friendly and safe to use.

The staff of "Weibang" said that as long as the product meets the relevant national standards, it is a qualified product, and the use of any raw materials will not affect the effect.

Experts remind

Look at the main ingredients and raw materials

A person in charge of the National Paper Industry Standardization Technical Committee told reporters that the national standards for toilet paper do not include any requirements for production. The raw materials used by manufacturers are limited. The national standards for paper towels require that paper equivalent to napkins must use virgin pulp and not recycled pulp.

Xie Qing, deputy director of the National Light Industry Paper Quality Supervision and Inspection Chongqing Station, told reporters that currently all domestic household paper must meet the GB15979-2002 "Hygienic Standard for Disposable Hygienic Products".

"As long as the toilet paper products meet the hygienic standards and meet the national mandatory requirements, they are regular products, and consumers can use them with confidence." Webmaster Xie said that the hygienic standards do not specify the type of toilet paper pulp, nor do they stipulate that 100% must be used. % virgin wood pulp, so companies can choose pulp types according to their own product standards, provided that the products must meet relevant national mandatory requirements.

"If 100% virgin wood pulp does not appear in the 'raw materials' column of the product, but is marked in the 'main ingredients', consumers should be careful." Sichuan Paper Industry The person in charge of the institute said that due to cost considerations, some small and medium-sized toilet paper manufacturers will add other raw materials such as straw pulp and bamboo pulp to the wood pulp, but they still advertise 100% virgin wood pulp. "This is a word game played by the manufacturer." He reminded consumers that these ingredients are not the main ingredients, and it is difficult for consumers to detect them from the appearance of the product. Generally, the actual ingredient content can only be found through technical testing.

The absolute terms used in the industrial and commercial statement violate the Advertising Law

The recycled pulp is clearly used, but it is also advertised as 100% virgin wood pulp. Such a statement will inevitably be suspected of "deceiving" consumers. . "Such advertising slogans are not only eye-catching, but are also suspected of misleading and defrauding consumers." The relevant person in charge of the Trademark Office of the Chengdu Industrial and Commercial Bureau told reporters that the claim of 100% virgin wood pulp is questionable. Article 7, paragraph 2, of the Advertising Law stipulates that advertisements shall not use absolute terms such as national level, superlative, and best. Terms such as "100%" and "No. 1" are absolute and extreme terms and violate the provisions of the Advertising Law.

He told reporters that for toilet paper products that promote 100% virgin wood pulp, the specific ingredients and content need to be identified through professional testing. "If it is detected that the purity is not enough, or it is not made from virgin wood pulp, it is false propaganda. If there is evidence to report, we will investigate and deal with it." The person in charge said.

◎Purchasing Tips

According to reports, the safety of toilet paper depends on three aspects. First of all, it depends on whether the paper product contains fluorescent whitening agent. The whiter the tissue paper, the better. In order to improve the whiteness of products, some manufacturers add excessive amounts of fluorescent whitening agents. Medical experts in European and American countries have confirmed through research that long-term exposure of human skin to fluorescent whitening agents may cause cancer.

Secondly, we need to look at the indicators of the total number of microorganisms and bacteria. The state has strict requirements on the microorganisms and bacterial count indicators for household paper. Some papermaking companies with backward production processes and sloppy selection of raw materials often seriously exceed the standards in this regard, especially E. coli and hepatitis bacteria, which are harmful to the human body. It goes without saying.