Scotch Plains business wants to change consumers' toilet paper rolls – for good

The basics:

• Fanwood couple launches an environmentally friendly, tree-free toilet paper brand.



• Local deforestation issues exacerbated by Hurricane Ida in 2021 motivated John and Marie Dimitrakakis to start RB Life Brands in an effort to move away from big box paper companies.



• The Scotch Plains-based startup has plans to "change the paper industry, be disruptive."

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Just as John and Marie Dimitrakakis, a married couple from Fanwood, were looking to start their own venture, Hurricane Ida tore through New Jersey in September 2021. The storm which brought record-breaking rains and flooding in some of the state’s most densely populated urban areas caused about $2.02 billion in damage and killed 30 people.

After the Dimitrakakis’ home was flooded, the pair knew they wanted to create a company that could make a difference. “When Hurricane Ida hit, we almost lost our home. That wasn’t because we lived in a flood zone or high-water area. It was due to suburban deforestation, which is a big issue especially in a state like New Jersey,” John Dimitrakakis said.

“Our house was built in 1938. All the houses around us weren't built until the late eighties, nineties and early 2000s,” he said. “People don't understand when they hear deforestation, their mind automatically goes to the Pacific Northwest, Canada and the rainforest. They don't think about the localized impact of deforestation.”

“We go through all these neighborhoods, and we chop down trees. We don’t replace them and people don’t realize that there’s nowhere for the water to go,” he said. “We’re just creating more and more of a mess and that was relevant to us. So, we said, ‘wait a second, we can have an impact by pulling away from the big box paper companies and maybe have a focus on reforestation.’”

Two-and-a-half years later, their company, RB Life Brands, just launched its first product environmentally friendly, tree-free bathroom tissue.

Crafted from 100% premium bamboo, the hypoallergenic and biodegradable paper is not only septic tank safe but free from bleach, dyes, inks or scents, ensuring a gentle touch on delicate skin.

John Dimitrakakis, the company’s CEO, described RB Life Brands as “a physical realization that daily necessities can be a force of good.” He also said bamboo toilet paper “is just the beginning of our journey” to empower consumers with the ability “to make smarter sustainable choices without sacrificing comfort.”

Available on Amazon.com and rblifebrands.com , RB Life Brands’ 100% bamboo toilet paper comes in packs of four, eight and 12, ranging from $12.99 to $24.89. Subscriptions are available and include a 15% discount.

Unlike regular-off-the-shelf toilet paper that comes wrapped in plastic, RB Life Brands’ rolls come in recycled and compostable packaging. Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for upholding sustainable sourcing practices, RB Life Brands packages all four-packs and eight-packs in New Jersey with boxes made from a local source.

“We're all about small changes that lead to big results, and our goal was to make the change easy by creating toilet paper that not only maintains the premium quality you want but is also affordable and eco-friendly. This brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘clean wipe,’” John Dimitrakakis said.

“It’s an easy switch to make. A lot of times people talk about sustainability and they think about putting solar panels on their house or buying an electric vehicle,” he said. “This is a lot cheaper than doing either one of those has a much larger impact, arguably a much larger impact, than you will have by doing one of the other options.”

Why bamboo?

Considered an up-and-coming product area with a lot of potential to disrupt, bamboo-based products are resonating with consumers who are focused on purchasing sustainable goods from a mission-driven company.

Toilet paper and paper towels are most often made of wood pulp, which, in the U.S., is generally sourced from Canada. Each day, more than 40,000 trees are cut down just for toilet paper and paper towels, which amounts to 20% of global deforestation.

Given the demand for sustainable alternatives to virgin wood fiber, more and more companies are starting to offer toilet paper made of recycled paper or bamboo. The tree-free space has also drawn interest from several celebrities. Since 2019, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban have all invested in Seattle-based startup Cloud Paper, which makes bamboo toilet paper and paper towels.

As one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, bamboo regenerates in as little as three years and doesn’t require replanting. Producing bamboo toilet paper also requires less water and chemicals compared to conventional tree-based toilet paper. Additionally, bamboo cultivation has been shown to reduce deforestation, habitat loss and soil erosion.

John Dimitrakakis recalled, “When Hurricane Ida hit, there was nowhere for that water to go. It just came right into our property, sat there and blew out the whole front wall of our foundation. Luckily, we weren’t home at the time. But when we came up the next day to find all the damage, we wondered ‘how are we going to repair everything?’Then, you realize that the federal funds FEMA funds really don’t do much because they only give you $18,000. We had almost $300,000 worth of damage to our house.”

The Dimitrakakises who have two children, 9-year-old Ryker and soon-to-be 2-year-old Bridgette have since rebuilt their home. “That's where the whole e-comm business came in,” he said. “We figured we’d try it so we can get another source of revenue and try to pay down some of these loans while we sue the insurance company.”

Since the late 1990s, John Dimitrakakis worked in wireless technology, designing and building networks for major carriers. He worked on several high-profile projects, including underground wireless in New York City subways and with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey at airports.

John Dimitrakakis said, “I’ve been involved in it for awhile and I just kind of was looking for something else to do As we started looking at other means of income, we decided to give e-commerce a try. We know a few people that were doing fairly well on it, but they were doing resale or wholesale items. Things that just didn’t really interest us.”

They conducted more research “to figure out the backbone of the e-commerce world” and learn about how companies launch and grow, he said.

“We started doing a lot of product research and the one product that kept coming to the forefront was bamboo. Whether it was a bamboo tray, bamboo plates, bamboo cutting boards, anything. So, we started looking at why and it’s because it’s readily available and it’s in demand,” he said. “The toilet paper world is a large industry but there weren’t a lot of suppliers of bamboo toilet paper, at least not on the East Coast.”

What the fluff?

Besides giving consumers a more eco-friendly option, RB Life Brands’ bamboo toilet paper is healthier and safer, according to John Dimitrakakis. “As we started trying to source toilet paper and go through that whole process, we started finding out all the chemicals and how the paper’s made it’s super toxic and it’s pretty wild to me that this has been going on as long as it has been because people like fluffy toilet paper,” he said.

“What many consumers don’t realize is that the ingredient that makes toilet paper fluffy is formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. And you're putting it on your most exposed area. It's like opening your mouth and just stuffing it with formaldehyde and expecting nothing to happen,” he said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to formaldehyde can irritate the skin, throat, lungs and eyes. Repeated exposure can potentially lead to respiratory issues or cancer.

“After extensive research, we found that bamboo was the natural solution given its health and environmental benefits,” John Dimitrakakis said.

Besides being durable, bamboo toilet paper has a soft and gentle texture, making it a great product for individuals with sensitive skin and sensitive areas, he said.

It’s also hypoallergenic even for those with sensitive skin. By contrast, some traditional toilet paper brands are made with harsh dyes and chemicals that can cause discomfort and irritation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNUXh4IuOEk

Scotch Plains-headquartered RB Life Brands currently imports its bamboo toilet paper from a manufacturer in China but is seeking ways to responsibly grow and source the product in the U.S. Doing so would also relieve RB Life of a 25% tariff on imported goods, John Dimitrakakis said.

After vetting about 10 companies and trying numerous products over the last year, RB Life Brands agreed to do business with an entity that had proper third-party testing in place for products, he said. “Those tests show that the product is chemical free, pesticide free, formaldehyde free, and no PFAS. So, we get those test reports with every batch from their bamboo that they produce or us,” he said. “I feel like the partnership although it was a process was necessary to do because you don’t want just a company that’s going to send you stuff that you don’t really believe in.”

Going forward, John Dimitrakakis said RB Life Brands plans “to be somewhat traditional in the paper goods industry” and have a core focus on everyday items used by consumers, like paper towels or reusable towels.

“Maybe one or two products down the line if they make sense. But I think our main mission is to try and change the paper industry, be disruptive, be a thought leader in the industry, and help make it an easy transition,” he said.

As part of that vision, RB Life Brands has teamed up with environmental nonprofits like Tidey Ocean and 1% For The Planet. Through its partnership with the latter, RB Life Brands pledged to donate 1% of its annual sales to support critical initiatives tackling sustainability and climate change.

But I think our main mission is to try and change the paper industry, be disruptive, be a thought leader in the industry, and help make it an easy transition.

John Dimitrakakis, RB Life Brand co-founder

In May, RB Life Brands participated in the two-day Asbury Park Vegan Food Festival , where it gave attendees complimentary samples of bamboo toilet paper. Attendees also had the opportunity to purchase packs at a special discounted rate.

For RB Life Brands, the weekend was about engaging with the community and showing them that sustainability can be both accessible and enjoyable.

“We invest in our community and we invest in New Jersey. As we continue to grow, we’ll organize park cleanups, beach cleanups and we will partner with potential government programs to see where we can help,” John Dimitrakakis said.

Since its 2023 founding, RK Life Brands has brought on five employees. “We’ve grown quite a bit. And that’s probably the biggest struggle being able to sustain the growth in the marketplace as we continue to grow Although I will say the team we have now, I consider them all founding members of the company and they’ll thrive and grow this as a family,” John Dimitrakakis said.

Meanwhile, Marie Dimitrakakis, an accountant by trade, continues to work outside of the company for the time being.

Another challenge is funding. “My wife and I, we self-funded this with everything that we had Because we have an SBA loan out on our house, we can't refinance our house to help grow the company So, our CFO, myself and my wife, we’re actively looking for funding so that we can grow properly,” said John Dimitrakakis, adding, “I truly believe in it This is what small business is. This is the American dream and what everybody talks about. And, I repeatedly say, ‘why not us?’ We’ll get there. We just have to keep climbing that mountain.

“From an investor standpoint, we’ve switched the company from an LLC to an S corp, so we fully understand the challenges ahead of us,” he said. “We’re looking to build a board and when the right funding comes along, we will have those shares available.”

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