Toilet paper could be replaced by this innovative product.
Toilet paper is used every day. However, it remains a less environmentally friendly option. It could therefore be replaced in the long term. Sean Riley, Ryan Meegan and Jeff Klimkowski, winners of the American show Shark Tankdedicated to entrepreneurs presenting innovative projects to investors, have thought about this problem. They proposed a new product that would represent a sustainable alternative to toilet paper. They notably managed to convince billionaire Mark Cuban, who bought 25% of the company, whose investment is starting to pay off. The company already controls 1% of the toilet paper industry and is estimated to be worth $11 billion.
What is this alternative to toilet paper? Sean Riley started out buying baby wipes to wipe himself after going to the bathroom. He felt that toilet paper was too dry and didn’t clean properly. That’s how he and his friends came up with the idea of offering extra-large wipes in packs instead of toilet paper. But not just any wipes.
“Dude” wipes are made with plant fibers and are therefore disposable and biodegradable. They are available in different scents such as mint or shea butter. A pack costs $4.99 for 48 wipes, or 4.58 euros.
It’s a real success: the company commissioned studies on consumer reaction to the replacement of toilet paper with these wet wipes and 95% of the participants said they preferred the new product. “We are on the path to a toilet paper revolution, can we get everyone to adopt this solution?” asked Sean Riley in the columns of Forbes.
According to Burt Flickinger, a retail consultant interviewed by Forbesit’s “too ambitious,” the toilet paper market has been around for 1,500 years. Instead, he sees wipes as “complementary,” especially for people who move a lot. “For truckers, people who travel longer distances, hike, camp, this may well be the primary or only consideration,” he said.