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Perth-born green entrepreneur targets £10m toilet paper sales

Chris Forbes and wife Julie Chen of Cheeky Panda
Chris Forbes and wife Julie Chen of Cheeky Panda

A Perth entrepreneur is targeting sales of £10 million this year of eco-friendly toilet paper made out of bamboo.

Chris Forbes founded The Cheeky Panda with wife Julie Chen in 2016 after seeing bamboo being harvested on a visit to her parents in China.

They discovered the 100% sustainable crop could produce toilet roll boasting 65% less carbon than rivals.

Launched with a £10,000 start-up from friends and family, Mr Forbes hopes to grow sales from £2m to £10m this year.

He said: “We knew we wanted to launch a green business, and bamboo gave Julie the idea that became The Cheeky Panda.

“Bamboo grows so quickly, around a metre a day, and it needs harvested every year so the impact on the environment is minimal.

“It was mad that we have the most sustainable plant on the planet and yet it isn’t being used for tissues so we thought we would do something about it.

The Cheeky Panda range includes bamboo toilet tissue, facial tissues, kitchen towels, pocket tissue and baby wipes.

All packaging is either biodegradable or recyclable. The firm also has a completely plastic-free subscribe-and- save option available via the website.

Mr Forbes, who was raised in Kenmore and Perth but now lives on the outskirts of London, said the key to the company’s growth this year will be Europe despite the Brexit storm.

He has already set up a base in France to ensure access to EU markets throughout Northern and Southern Europe.

He added: “Frankly, I’m fed up with some of the negativity.

“Brexit is being used an excuse not to do stuff.

“Of course, Brexit adds to the uncertainty but it also opens up opportunities, too, as we expand further into foreign markets.

“We set up our own French entity to maintain access to markets such as France, Sweden and Italy and if the pound goes down and the euro goes up, or vice versa, we have created a natural hedge.

“Through Amazon and major European retailers, we are expanding, creating local-language products, as everyone is looking to do their bit for the planet and be a bit more sustainable.”

rmclaren@thecourier.co.uk