Innovation leads to the ongoing introduction of new and upgraded tissue products for consumers, heightening the quality and comfort for the end-user. This goes hand in hand with the awareness that increased hygiene has become a key concern, both at home and away from home. 

Paper has been used for hygiene purposes for centuries, but tissue paper as we know it today was not industrially produced in the Western world until the mid-1940s. Hygienic tissue paper is commonly used for facial tissue, handkerchiefs, napkins, toilet tissue and household towels.  

Tissue at home

Rolls of toilet paper have been available since the end of the 19th century, but only comparatively recently – since the late 1960s – has tissue paper offered the softness, strength, absorption and affordability that the public demands. More than 20 billion rolls of toilet tissue are used each year in Western Europe.

The first tissue handkerchiefs were introduced in the 1920, immediately making a genuine contribution to hygiene and cleanliness. The products have been refined over the years, especially for softness and strength, but their basic design has remained constant. Today a person in Western Europe uses about 200 tissue handkerchiefs a year, with a variety of 'alternative' applications including the treatment of minor wounds, cleaning of face and hands, and cleaning of spectacles.

Household and kitchen towels are the most effective means for cleanliness in the home. In the kitchen, where hygiene is of paramount importance, dishcloths and sponges, for example, have been found to be breeding grounds for bacteria.

At the table, tissue napkins and covers offer cleanliness, protection and convenience. They offer a high standard of elegance in restaurants and at home.

Tissue away from home

In public washrooms, paper hand towels have not only been found to be more effective than hot air dryers and cloth towels, they also considerably reduce the possibility of spreading disease.

In the healthcare sector, tissue products – such as sheets, layers and dressings – help to safeguard patients and nursing staff from contamination.

In the food industry, where hygiene is vital in surface cleaning and hand drying, tissue products will often be the only safe option.

And in industry generally, tissue wipes offer the cleanliness that today's quality standards require without the need for difficult and often expensive laundering.