According to the Daily Telegraph, {English people} each flush 39 lbs of {toilet paper} down the loo every year, which is two-and-a-half times the European average. In fact research carried out by the European Tissue Symposium appears to suggest that some countries have not been using very much at all.The Daily Telegraph elaborates [2]: "New research published by the European Tissue Symposium sees Europe's toilet paper consumption soaring by 40 per cent over the next decade. Key to the runaway success of the toilet roll has been "creative and daring concepts" such as black loo paper."But all that is changing apparently with the runaway success of a black toilet paper, which is described as a creative and daring concept and a defiance of conventional thinking.
These reports both stem from the same UPI wire report [3], which cites Renova [4] as company behind the "creative and daring" black toilet paper in question. Neither the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, nor the UPI bothered to ask the question that popped into this PoopReporter's head after only a moment's consideration: why in the world would black toilet paper, marketed as a luxury good [5] (and thus priced well above normal toilet paper), cause a drastic continent-wide increase in toilet paper consumption?
Nor did the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, or UPI bother with even the most cursory investigation into the European Tissue Symposium [6]. If they had, they'd know that the same organization making the dubious connection between Renova's black toilet paper and a projected 40% increase in toilet paper consumption just happens to have Renova as one of its corporate members [7].
Could it be possible that these figures -- presented in all cases with no hint as to how they were determined -- are a bunch of corporate fluff, pulled from the ass of some publicity hack trying to get his client's name in the news? After all, claiming that the UK and the US lead the world in toilet paper consumption with 39 and 34.5 pounds per person per year respectively is sure to generate publicity in both countries -- countries in which Renova, in an incredible coincidence, has just recently begun to market its black toilet paper.
I call horseshit. Shame on the BBC, the Daily Telegraph, and all the other news organizations picking up this story for not doing the same.