Not turning the other cheek

Can you explain what products The Cheeky Panda offers and their unique benefits?
The Cheeky Panda is a bamboo tissue business. We take the world’s fastest growing plant and make a range of products from toilet tissue, handtowels and facial tissues. Not only is Cheeky Panda ultra sustainable because you can harvest bamboo every year unlike trees, which take 15 years to grow, it’s also carbon neutral through our work with The World Land Trust.

Can you explain in more detail how you have managed to reduce the environmental impact of your manufacturing process and the distribution of the products?
Most of the carbon produced in the manufacture of tissue is done in the pulping and conversion stages. Even recycled tissue has a large carbon and environmental impact particularly when the tissue comes from newspapers and it has to go through a de-inking and bleaching process. We believe these chemicals are bad for the environment and our skin, so by using a 100% bamboo alternative we have a more natural product. As bamboo produces more oxygen and absorbs more carbon in the growth stage – cradle to grave – when you factor in the shipping we have a reduced carbon footprint. We then offset the remainder by investing in a rainforest conservation project with The World Land Trust.  

How do these benefits fit into the top trends in the consumer and B2B cleaning and hygiene markets?
Consumer behaviours are changing faster than ever before; there is a demand for immediacy and authenticity about what consumers use in their workplace. The requirement for sustainable goods goes beyond just reporting – they are now expected. When people are looking for innovation they are looking for ways to do things faster and greener and The Cheeky Panda aligns itself very well to achieving that. 

What do you think is driving these sustainable trends and developments?
If we fast forward to 2030 the word ‘sustainability’ will hopefully be eradicated as it will be mandatory. We live in a world of stretched resources where we consume 1.5x what the earth can produce and we are depleting the reserves at an alarming rate. People’s consciousness make them aware of the environment and if the solutions are out there they want them to be used. A bit like reducing plastics. 

What progress has The Cheeky Panda made as a business since its launch in 2016?
The Cheeky Panda was a vision made into reality by myself and Julie (co-founder Julie Chen). It’s hard to describe all the things we have achieved in just over three short years, but a recent report by Plimsoll rated us as the fastest growing company in the UK tissue sector and the 32nd most profitable from 128 in total. For a start-up to come from nowhere to have a multi-million pound turnover, stocked in the largest retailers and distributors in the country and be available in over 20 countries is phenomenal. 

What more could the UK professional cleaning market be doing to be more sustainable?
The UK cleaning sector is challenging as for the past 20 years everyone has been beaten down by price procurement departments. So working on ever decreasing margins while still being asked to deliver innovation and service is tough. I would love to see the cleaning sector get its Mojo back and start saying “these buildings don’t work without us. Yes we can reduce plastic, yes we can be more sustainable, yes we can pay living wage but pay us properly and we will deliver a world class service”. I’d like to see the cleaning sector use sustainability as a way to get their margins back and restore pride in the services instead of – excuse the pun – “a race to the bottom”.

What are The Cheeky Panda’s plans over the next 12 months?
We are a very ambitious company with sustainability at our core. We just raised £2m in a deal that values us at £25m. We are investing in building the brand, innovative new product lines, eliminating plastic, new people and automation in our back office. For the Cheeky Panda’s plans I would like to borrow a quote from Winston Churchill: “This is not the end, this is not the beginning of the end, but perhaps this is the end of the beginning.”