Unrolling truth about 'bamboo' toilet rolls is no easy matter for shoppers

Increasingly, however, how sustainable the product is has become an important consideration to many wanting to reduce their environmental impact.

Brands understand this. Take toilet roll as an example. The vast majority of it currently available to buy is made from pulpwood, a type of timber.

Danish environmental statistics group TheWorldCounts estimates that the production of the 42 million tons of toilet paper used globally every year requires 712 million trees, 1,165 million tons of water and 78 million tons of oil.

Hence companies making the stuff out of alternative, more environmentally friendly materials, such as bamboo. But how can we trust that the materials we read on the packaging are as eco-friendly as companies state? The answer is: with some difficulty.

Which? research recently found that despite bamboozling consumers with green claims, brands such as Naked Sprout, Bumboo and Bazoo contained low levels of bamboo, contrary to their claims. (Bumboo and Bazoo say they are addressing the issues we raised).

Against this backdrop is the UK’s plan to reach net zero.

These targets, necessarily ambitious in their scope, will require all of us to adopt a range of more sustainable technologies that involve much more costly and complex choices than our choice of toilet roll - such as changes to the ways we heat our homes and the types of cars we drive.

Despite most political parties acknowledging the role consumers will have to play in the transition away from fossil fuels, there remains a gap in how exactly households will be supported to reach them.

That’s why Which? believes that the next government must set out clear plans for how they will help consumers make more sustainable choices.

So what does that look like in the real world - at a time when household budgets have been stretched to near breaking point by a cost of living crisis and consumer confidence in products, such as electric vehicles, can be low?

Let’s start with home heating. The nationwide challenge to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy security is significant. Improving insulation in homes will lead to lower energy use, lower bills and greater comfort.

But it can be prohibitively expensive for some consumers and more needs to be done to help them make more informed decisions if they’re expected to part with their hard-earned cash on home improvements.

Consumers need help in identifying the right measures for their home, targeted support with high upfront costs and a straightforward process to find qualified and reliable installers, as well as setting a date for the mandatory certification of tradespeople in this sector.

When it comes to the cars we drive, we know motorists are concerned about the upfront cost, how they’ll be able to charge them and the distance they’ll be able to drive in them without recharging.

The next government should deliver on proposals for a Rapid Charging Fund and mandate minimum charge point numbers at specific sites.

At a local level, authorities need the support and responsibility to plan for and provide charge point infrastructure, giving drivers appropriate means of redress should they be let down.

We need clear plans and the right support, so consumers and businesses are able to make more sustainable choices.