Palomin Toilet Paper Without Plastic Packaging

A wave of excitement swept through Rifuzlarje this week, as a new, eagerly awaited product arrived: toilet paper without plastic packaging! Since I believe this is a truly significant achievement that will have long-term positive effects on living with less waste in Slovenia, I’ve decided to share the full story of how our collaboration with Paloma came about.

At the same time, this story perfectly illustrates what it’s like to expand the product lineup with new items for a zero-waste store like Rifuzl. It’s certainly a lot more work than for regular stores, but with plenty of determination (which we have in spades), it’s doable!

It didn’t look promising at first

Manca and I had already had toilet paper on our list of items to offer at Rifuzl from the very beginning. When Manca went to work in Graz for a few days in December, at the zero-waste store Das Dekagramm to gain experience working in a zero-waste store, she also got a contact there from an Austrian company that supplied that Graz store with toilet paper without plastic wrapping.

Since one of our principles is to partner with companies that are as close to Rifuzl as possible and to support the local economy, we decided to first try to get in touch and arrange for toilet paper with the Slovenian company Paloma. A few months ago, Manca sent them a couple of emails expressing our interest in collaborating and briefly explaining our concept. We didn’t receive a response. Since we had our hands full expanding the rest of our product lineup, the toilet paper project was put on the back burner for a bit.

But in May, I posted a story on our Instagram asking which product our customers missed the most.

Since it’s extremely important to us that the products at Rifuzl are relevant (we don’t want to be just a “showroom” store, but rather a useful, everyday store), toilet paper jumped to the top of the list of products to add to our selection.

We decided to try contacting Paloma one more time; otherwise, we’ll work something out with the Austrian company.

You Have to Find the Right Person

So the very next day after posting the story, I picked up the phone and called their sales department. I briefly presented our concept and explained that we were interested in their toilet paper, but that we’d need it delivered without plastic packaging. Their sales representative told me that a long time ago they used to offer toilet paper in cardboard boxes or on pallets, but there was no interest from retailers, so they discontinued it. They explained that their production is automated and that they currently cannot package the product in any way other than plastic.

I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet, so I played every trump card and ace I could think of at that moment:

• I referred to their sustainability policy and pointed out that it’s hard for them to claim they’re an environmentally responsible company if they package in plastic,
• how this was a prime business and marketing opportunity for them (this post, hint hint?),
• I shared some of our past experiences collaborating with other companies and how a presence in our store would serve as a springboard for their future growth,
• and finally, that we have a contact at an Austrian company that’s ready to collaborate, and that if we can’t reach an agreement with Paloma, we’ll unfortunately have to order the toilet paper from a competitor.

With these arguments, I managed to get the contact information for their brand manager, Ms. Aleksandra, and was told to direct our request for collaboration to her. And from there on, things started moving in the right direction.

First, I received an offer from Aleksandra to supply us with pink toilet paper in sheets—commonly known among the general public as “sandpaper”—without plastic packaging Toilet paper—those of us who’ve ever used it know why it has that nickname :)

Even just going by my own gut feeling, I thought our customers might not be too thrilled with this offer. But I’m only human, and I could be wrong. So I turned to you again for help via an Instagram Story.

Once I’d gathered all the responses and analyzed them, I was able to share these preferences with Aleksandra in my reply (not my own, but the preferences of those who will be buying toilet paper from us):

More specifically, the customers’ preferences are as follows (in descending order of priority):

‣ soft (which is why, in my opinion, tissue sheets are out of the question—if I remember correctly, which ones are we talking about?),
‣ unscented and unbleached or uncolored,
‣ made from recycled paper,
‣ multi-ply (customers mentioned at least 3-ply).

Among the responses, there were even a few where you explicitly stated that you do not want crepe toilet paper.

In response, I received a thank-you note and a positive confirmation that they would be able to accommodate our requests—specifically, that the packaging into cardboard boxes would be handled by Paloma PIS, a Paloma subsidiary that employs people with disabilities. From there, we began discussing the details of our collaboration with Ms. Ivanka, the head of the production and services division at Paloma PIS.

Not only an environmental aspect, but also a socially responsible one to our collaboration!

At Paloma PIS, Manca and I were met with an exceptionally positive and warm response. They quickly found a solution for us, enabling them to pack and deliver toilet paper rolls in cardboard packaging. They highly praised our concept and our work and were delighted to collaborate with us. Not only because of the environmental and nature conservation aspects, but also because this type of packaging is ideal work for their employees with disabilities.

So our collaboration not only has a positive impact on the environment (no plastic) and the local economy (collaboration with a Slovenian company), but is also socially responsible, since Rifuz’s partnership with Paloma provides employment for people who are harder to place in the workforce. (collaboration with a Slovenian company), but it’s also socially responsible, since Rifuz’s partnership with Paloma provides jobs for people who face greater challenges in finding employment.

How much does a “zero waste” roll of toilet paper cost?

After a week, we received a wholesale offer for toilet paper from Paloma PIS. The final piece of the equation still needed to be worked out: how much will a roll of toilet paper cost at Rifuzl?

At Rifuzl, we do our very best to ensure that the products you buy from us are competitively priced compared to those in regular stores. And we do this even though, as a (for now) small retailer, we don’t even come close to getting the same favorable purchasing terms as large retail chains. We’d rather take a hit ourselves, because we know we can’t pave the way for positive change in society if buying plastic-free products at Rifuzl isn’t also easy on your wallet.

So, together with Palmina’s team, we put our heads together and conducted a market analysis to determine how much comparable toilet paper—like the kind we currently offer—sells for in regular stores. The toilet paper we carry is comparable to Paloma Exclusive 10x150 —white—which sells in other stores for between €3.50 and €4.00 for 10 rolls, or between €0.35 and €0.40 per roll.

Now it’s time to celebrate: we’ve managed to negotiate terms with Paloma so that you pay absolutely no more for a single roll of toilet paper than what it sells for in regular stores—that is, 35 cents. What’s more, if you buy a whole carton (24 rolls per carton, roughly a month’s supply for a family of four), the price for the entire carton is €7.95, which works out to just 33 cents per roll!

Why we consider toilet paper a particular success

In a few days, we’ll be celebrating the half-year anniversary of Rifuzl’s opening. So far, our selection has been mostly limited to products from boutique manufacturers, since it was only possible to reach agreements with smaller, local producers and growers to collaborate and sell through Rifuzl.

But to produce something like toilet paper, you need a full-scale production facility, and boutique manufacturing of such products simply doesn’t exist. So we had to tackle a tougher challenge and try to implement our standards at a larger company like Paloma. Although it wasn’t the easiest task, this first successful collaboration is a great stepping stone for the future.

Kudos to Paloma and their team (especially Aleksandra, Ivanka, and Milena) for making this idea a reality and getting the collaboration off the ground.

Since Rifuzl is the first zero-waste store in Slovenia, we’re fortunate (and have the responsibility!) to have quite a few eyes on us—Manca and I are collaborating and helping many stores (even if they’re competitors) to introduce a selection of products without plastic packaging. But there are even more stores that are simply following our every move and introducing similar offerings on their own. Thanks to their presence in our store, almost all of our suppliers are selling their products in many other stores after just a few months.

But can you see where this is going? Paloma is a company that sells its products throughout Slovenia and abroad. I predict that relatively soon we’ll see “plastic-free” toilet paper available in many other places, not just at Rifuzl. Perhaps even on the shelves of shopping centers throughout Slovenia—after all, even large retailers are slowly following the trend of offering products in more sustainable packaging. This is no longer just a small step in the right direction— Rifuzl’s mission is now taking on real significance on a national scale!

Paloma has let us know that ever since we announced we’d be carrying their toilet paper, they’ve been getting inquiries from other stores looking for paper that isn’t packaged in plastic.

All of this is great, but there’s always room for improvement

As soon as we achieve one victory, we’re already looking ahead to see what else we can improve—and our customers help us a great deal with their suggestions.

We’ll suggest to Palomi that they replace the plastic tape currently used to seal the first boxes we received with biodegradable paper tape. We’ll try to work out an arrangement so that we can return all the cardboard boxes for reuse. Last but not least, it would be great if they also introduced toilet paper rolls made from recycled paper.

But the biggest thanks go to you!

For everything we do, we have you to thank above all else. Without you, our customers, we would never be able to make the changes we’re making. With every purchase at Rifuzl, you support our work and the manufacturers who make it possible for us to sell products without plastic packaging. The more of us there are, the sooner “zero waste” will become part of everyday life in Slovenia. Let’s prove that it’s possible!

If you’ve read the whole post—kudos for taking the time! Help us share it on Instagram and Facebook (tag us @Rifuzl), because by doing so, you’re contributing to a cleaner environment for all of us ??. In any case, you’re invited to visit Rifuzl for sustainable shopping!