Caboo Sustainable Bamboo and Sugarcane Paper Products

I was curious and excited to test drive Caboo’s sustainable bamboo and sugarcane paper products. My interest was really peaked after I read claims that the bamboo-based manufacturer was more environmentally friendly than 100% recycled paper products. This claim was based on the fact that using the fast-growing bamboo (a grass rather than a tree) was less intensive energy and water-wise than recycling post-consumer paper waste into toilet paper. Read on to find out why we agree that Caboo is pretty great for the environment and our homes and how much we loved the toilet paper, paper towel, facial tissues and baby wipes we tried out.

What's To Love?:

• Strong and Soft
• No Dioxin or BPA
• Made from sustainable materials
• More Enviro-Friendly than recycled paper products
• Full line of useful products
• Forward thinking company with strong ethics
• Backed by third-party certifications

One of my favourite human health benefits of Caboo is that they don’t use chlorinated bleach in their processing like many conventional and 100% recycled paper products. This minimizes my families exposure (and the factory workers and wastewater..) to the chemical Dioxin.

Another widely held benefit to passing up recycled paper products for bamboo based Caboo is that it is totally BPA-free. BPA is paper you say?! I thought that was only in plastics??? It turns out thermal paper products (think cash register receipts and lotto tickets) contain a coating of BPA and when they are recycled along with other papers to make 100% post-consumer recycled paper products the BPA comes along for the ride.

Caboo’s paper products are surprisingly luxurious and thick. Unlike some brands of Eco paper products which I have found to be thin and rough, Caboo is soft and strong. Other than that, they behave just how one might expect a paper towel or roll of toilet paper to; great for quick messes and then designed to be disposed of.

For those of us craving the comforts of plush virgin paper products without the environmental and human health impacts of using chlorine-bleached, hardwood-rainforest-filled conventional TP Caboo is a great choice! However, for those of us wanting to really step up the comfort and environmental protection efforts when it comes to disposable paper products the best bet is to switch to reusable cloth.

Caboo has sought third-party accreditation so we can be assured that their business is held accountable to consumers and the environment. They currently hold BRC Global Standards certification, FSC, and ISO 14000 certifications.

Choosing Caboo is wise for those of us who are concerned about our carbon footprint. The fast growing bamboo used in Caboo's paper products is actually a very renewable woody grass, which means that when cut it naturally regrows to maturity in 3 or 4 months. This is much more sustainable than harvesting hardwood trees that take 30 years to regrow ! Also, destroying mature forests for paper isn't wise, as rain forests are important carbon sinks and habitats. In addition, Caboo is working towards minimizing their own corporate carbon footprint. They currently choose to ship via ship rather than air, truck, or rails, when possible, as maritime shipping has the lowest available carbon footprint of all transport options.

Paper products like baby wipes, toilet paper, and paper towels are designed to be used once and thrown away. Which means that when we set out to buy them we know they will become waste, usually quite quickly ! Caboo is made from 100% natural bamboo and sugar cane and is therefore biodegradable and septic safe after disposal. Caboo currently mitigates sugar cane waste byproducts from the sugar industry and upcycles the waste (that would otherwise be burned or end up in landfills) into paper products.

The only downside to Caboo seems to be its price point, which is in the top-tier in our local grocery store. However we feel that the cost of the product reflects its commitment to sustainability, quality, and the fact that it is doing something unique. If more people make the leap to bamboo based paper products instead of virgin hardwood or post-consumer recycled we could see a reduction in costs.