Shoppers are – again – being assured that there is no shortage of toilet paper. As the major supermarkets again impose nationwide restrictions on the limit of toilet paper customers are able to purchase, largely due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, the Australian Forest Products Association wants to provide assurance to the community that there is no need for panic buying. Source: Timberbiz
“The community can rest assured there is no shortage of toilet paper in Australia,” AFPA CEO Ross Hampton said.
“This is because we have a strong Australian paper manufacturing industry that supplies Australians with this essential product and were doing so right through the worst of the pandemic.
“ABC Tissue, who manufacture brands like Quilton toilet paper, and a range of other tissue products has no supply issues, and in fact they recently donated one million rolls of toilet paper to the elderly and vulnerable communities of Australia,” he said.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic imposed shutdowns, the entire supply chain of the forest, pulp and paper industry had been rightly recognised as an essential industry, allowing manufacturing operations to continue and ensuring there was no toilet paper supply issue.
“If everyone buys just the toilet paper they need, then there won’t be empty shelves.” Mr Hampton said.
“COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of local manufacturing capacity for products like toilet paper and Australia has a strong domestic manufacturing capacity for pulp and paper products. We do not have to worry about shortages of many products like toilet and tissue paper, newspaper, printing paper and cardboard food packaging.
“Australians should be commended for supporting these Australian made products but should only purchase what they need to help avoid community panic,” Mr Hampton said.
