FLORIDA, USA — You've probably heard the concern about a toilet paper supply shortage making a comeback due to a skyscraper-sized ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal.
Well, the first bit of good news is that the ship clogging the waterway has been freed, and the world's trading operation that flows through the canal is (almost) back in business.
The nearly week-long delay of getting supplies to vendors and manufacturers doesn't just disappear.
The world's largest producer of wood pulp, a raw material used in a variety of paper products, is warning that the blockage of the critical trade route could create a supply snag in the weeks ahead, according to Bloomberg.
"With demand surging for ships that carry ribbed steel containers, the squeeze is starting to spill over to break bulk and threatens to delay the company’s shipments," Suzano SA CEO Walter Schalka told the outlet before the ship was freed.
But that isn't your cue to start hoarding endless amounts of toilet tissue or panicking at the sight of an empty shelf. Why? Because we've been here before; and it turns out, Florida's got your back and back-side.
During the height of the pandemic, foresters in parts of the state were on a roll when it came to making sure the production of the essential item didn't fall behind; and it seems to be a pretty-regular, year-round process.
"Forest products contribute to a large and valuable industry for the state of Florida – altogether comprising the state’s largest agricultural commodity," the University of Florida's IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation wrote in a 2020 blog post.
It notes that harvesting Florida's forest products remains a necessary operation and that while paper mills usually run 24/7, to begin with, production can be increased by shifting the focus to the paper product with the highest demand – like toilet paper.
At the time, ACF Forester Scott Sager also told the university that while wood pulp is preferred for sustainability purposes, that hemp and bamboo are alternatives to making toilet tissue.
According to the Florida Forestry Association, the state has more than 17 million acres of forested land full of the goods needed to keep your toilet paper holder full. The association also reports that as of 2016 there were 74 primary wood-using mills in Florida.
Other toilet tissue companies amped-up production during the pandemic too.
South Florida Tissue Paper Company told WSVN it upped production by 100,000 rolls, per day, to help supply the demand.
It's important to also remember that shelves emptied out of concern when American's knew they'd likely have to stay inside for months. The temporary back-up in the Suez Canal did not meet that same standard.
Plus, the South Florida company's owner says the average 500-sheet roll of toilet paper can last you anywhere from two to three weeks, depending on how much you tear off.
So, the next time you're at the store, be kind and only take as much as you need.
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