The day's aim is to raise awareness of more environmentally-friendly options available to customers when they're buying tissue or toilet rolls, as well as reminding customers that all of Sainsbury's tissue, toilet roll and kitchen towel is now approved by the FSC or 100% recycled.

The UK buys almost 3 billion rolls of toilet paper alone every year, and is a regular part of the nation's shopping basket. However, all wood fibre materials, such as tissue and toilet paper rely significantly on woodland (an estimated 17 trees are used for one tonne of paper). Sainsbury's pledge to sell either FSC or recycled material aims to eliminate high levels of forest destruction and ensure healthy forests for future generations.

All Sainsbury's own-brand tissue, toilet paper or kitchen towel will now support well-managed forests and commercial woodlands operated within the strict guidelines set by the FSC or come from approved recycled fibre. This means customers can be assured that they are automatically protecting the environment when they buy their household essentials.

What does the FSC logo mean?

• The FSC label guarantees that the trees that are harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.


• FSC forests are managed with consideration for people, wildlife and the environment
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• Parts of the forest are protected entirely, in order to protect rare animals and plants.


• FSC is a market-based initiative which also ensures better conditions for the forest and the people whose livelihoods depend on it.


• FSC gives an assurance that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the forest.


• All the wood tracked from the forest to the store. Every link between the forest and the consumer is certified to make it clearly identifiable which wood is FSC certified and which is not.


• FSC is the only wood certification scheme supported by the major environmental charities, including WWF, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and The Woodland Trust.

Gwyn Burr, Sainsbury's Customer Director, says: "For Sainsbury's this is all about the scale at which we operate in making change possible. In the UK, an average household uses at least 115 rolls every year, and if you add onto that the volume of kitchen towels and tissues, this is a significant amount. It is through the volume of purchases that our customers make that will make a real difference, and raise not only the profile of the FSC standard, but also the demand for these kind of products. We want to remind customers that there are greener alternatives available and we want to make it easy for them to access it.

Charles Thwaites, Executive Director, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK, said: "We know that long-term commitments, such as Sainsbury's, to sourcing FSC-certified pulp is greatly appreciated by those foresters who commit themselves to our strict standards. By demanding only the most responsibly sourced materials, Sainsbury's are taking the sort of direct action that encourages both the continued economic viability of our forests and their preservation for future generations"

Julia Young, Manager of WWF-UK's Forest & Trade Network, said: "It's great news that Sainsbury's is holding a day of action to spread awareness of both FSC and recycled toilet rolls. Every year 25 million trees go into the production of toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, facial tissues and handkerchiefs just for consumers in the EU alone. The Forest Stewardship Council stamp of approval provides independent proof that wood fibres sources come from well managed forests."

The third Make the difference day will focus on explaining the benefits of FSC to customers, and leaflets (all printed on FSC certified paper) will be handed to customers along with a twin-pack of FSC toilet rolls.

Sainsbury's move to FSC or 100% recycled material on all its toilet roll, kitchen towel and tissue. This accounts for 85% of all the wood-fibre products that Sainsbury's currently sells, with an aspiration to extend to 100% to include paper tableware and home accessories.

For no extra cost, all of Sainsbury's own-brand tissues, kitchen towel and toilet roll now comes from sustainable wood fibre which doesn't compromise the future of forests. This includes all ranges, from 'Basics', to more premium tissue, so whatever a customer's budget, they're kinder to the environment.

The third 'Make the difference' day follows the success of Sainsbury's first two 'Make the difference' days when the supermarket gave away millions of re-usable 'Bags for Life' with an aim of encouraging customers to re-use their bags and to abandon free, disposable bags whenever they go shopping.