Frequently Asked Questions 

Bonterra is a coined name with a nod to both quality and sustainability. Loosely translated, “Bon” is ‘good’ in French, and “Terra” is ‘Earth’ in Latin.

All Bonterra paper products are made in Quebec, Canada, with domestic and imported materials. Specifically, Bath Tissue and Paper Towel are produced in Crabtree, QC and Facial Tissue in Gatineau, QC. 

Bonterra paper products are available for purchase across Canada at most major retailers. The products launched in early 2022, so inventory will be ramping up throughout the year. 

Currently, we offer Bonterra Bath Tissue (6 Mega Rolls), Bonterra Paper Towel (3 Mega Rolls), and Bonterra Facial Tissue (3 Mega Boxes) 

Bonterra paper products are made from 100% recycled paper, at least 80% of which is post-consumer materials. We use primarily recycled office papers, which are de-inked and broken down for a new life instead of being disposed of as solid waste having reached its intended end-use. 

We believe in sustainability without sacrificing on quality. Recycled tissue, by nature, does not feel the same as pure virgin tissue. Most major household paper brands use virgin paper to achieve the highest levels of softness. We prioritized the combination of a lower ecological footprint, together with achieving key product attributes - like increasing thickness, softness, and absorbency, to ensure our products meet the needs of shoppers like you. 

Bonterra paper products are Responsibly Sourced, made from 100% recycled paper with at least 80% post-consumer materials. Our products are also Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified, for using responsible fibre which considers the environment. For more information, please visit https://ca.fsc.org/en-ca.

Bonterra paper products are wrapped in plastic-free packaging. Specifically, our Bath Tissue and Paper Towel products are wrapped in recyclable paper with water-based inks and glues. Our Facial Tissue products are packaged in 100% recycled – and recyclable – cartons and sleeves. Each tissue carton also features a paper dispensing window to replace the industry standard plastic.

Please recycle! All Bonterra packaging – from the paper wrap on our Bath Tissue and Paper Towel products down to the inner cores, as well as individual Facial Tissue cartons and the overwrap sleeves – can be fully recycled in your municipal bin, where facilities exist. 

​​​​​We offset operational Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of Bonterra paper products by retiring third-party verified carbon credits. Our Scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions are calculated using the GHG Protocol Standard and verified by a third party annually. 

Scopes 1 and 2 emissions are defined in the GHG Protocol Standard. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. In other words, these are emissions resulting directly from the relevant company's activities (such as fuels combusted in the manufacturing process). Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy from a utility provider (e.g. the consumption of purchased electricity). With respect to Bonterra, Scopes 1 and 2 emissions are associated with the commercial fuels and electricity we consume in the manufacturing process for these products. 

There are other GHG emissions associated with the life cycle of the Bonterra paper products. As provided in the Product Standard of the GHG Protocol Standard, these are upstream Scope 3 GHG emissions, such as emissions related to purchases of materials and downstream Scope 3 GHG emissions, such as emissions related to the distribution and storage, use and end-of-life of Bonterra products. In this initiative, we are not offsetting the Scope 3 GHG emissions associated with Bonterra paper products.

We use bleaching during the recycling of post-consumer papers to remove coloured impurities and increase the whiteness of recycled content. This process allows us to remove contaminants and inks safely and effectively from previously-printed papers (e.g., sorted office waste) and entails the use of sodium hypochlorite. 

4ocean is a public benefit corporation committed to ending the ocean plastic crisis. Learn more about what they do here: www.4ocean.com. 

Bonterra is a proud partner of 4ocean. We don’t use plastic in our packaging, and we don’t want it in our oceans either. Through our partnership with 4ocean, we are funding the annual removal of 100,000 pounds of plastic and trash from the ocean, starting in 2023.

10,000 pounds of plastic and trash were removed from the ocean through our partnership in 2022.

One Tree Planted is a non-profit organization focused on global reforestation. Learn more about what they do here: www.onetreeplanted.org. 

To help offset our use of paper packaging, we have partnered with One Tree Planted. We are funding the planting of over 30,000 new trees each year, starting in 2022. The trees will be planted in Canada, with exact seedling locations selected before each planting season.