PRESS RELEASE
23 March 2021
For immediate release

Preventing the "Darling Floods of May"
- the most interesting thing you will learn about your loo in 2021 

What does a five-star cruise ship have in common with many rural and farm properties?  Apart from wonderful views and a fabulous location, they also share the potentially stinky problem of no mains sewage system and blocked drains.  That's where Tanki, a new, environmentally friendly, glue-free toilet tissue comes to the rescue to save your sewage system. 

Founder Matt O'Crowley is a former deck officer with the Merchant Navy and recognised the need for a toilet paper that is glue and plastic free and that does not clog up the world's sewage systems or seas with material harmful to marine life. 

Thankfully, historic lavatorial arrangements for off grid properties are becoming a thing of the past and polluting septic tanks and cesspools are getting a well needed upgrade to modern sewage treatment plants.  Whilst these give householders some of the convenience of being on the mains, a few issues remain-particularly blockages and problems caused by standard loo roll which contains glues to hold the sheets together.

As farmers and landowners look at more ways to diversify, the need for toilet facilities in out of the way places increases and the challenges of off-grid waste management become ever more apparent. 

As the pandemic took hold, Matt discovered he was ineligible for furlough cash and the idea for Tanki toilet paper became reality.  He was joined by business partner, Mark Collins, and the brand was born.

Tanki, based in Shrewsbury, is both glue and plastic-free and as well as for household use, is also aimed at the maritime, rural and leisure market. 

With more than 1,000 direct customers and many more through a growing number of retailers, sales are rocketing in rural areas as well as internationally.  Orders have come from Spain, Greece and Singapore and Tanki is already supplied to UK caravan parks, glamping sites and holiday parks via Nova Leisure, one of the UK's leading distributors of its type. 

Country stores are becoming an increasingly important market sector as the benefits to rural properties are recognised, and the firm are keen to speak to more.  Ace Farm Supplies in Shropshire have seen sales increase since launching the brand, and now stock nothing else. 

"We immediately liked the idea of this environmentally friendly loo roll, but we also needed to be sure that our customers would be happy to switch from their regular brand.  We arranged an army of farmers wives to give Tanki a rigorous test and they were unanimous in their approval", said store manager, Rob Pugh. 

Cambers Country Stores are well known in the region and have been serving the rural community for over 3 decades.  "Cambers were one of the first stores to take Tanki, and we are very proud to be stocked by them", says Matt. 

Backed by £20,000 in funding from a start-up loan via the ‘Biz Britain' scheme and private investment, Tanki has gone from strength to strength.

O'Crowley added: "Life on-board ship is permanently dogged by the misery of blocked sewage systems. Not only are these blockages due in no small part to the glue in toilet paper, but when conventional paper does flush through, it is sending plastic directly into the ocean. Being made redundant due to Covid gave us the opportunity and impetus to do something about this.

"Off grid homes are now increasingly using the same technology as cruise ships to handle their waste, meaning that the same issues exist in the countryside, as at sea.

"It may come as a surprise that the humble loo roll contains a lot more than just two or three sheets of very thin, biodegradable paper. Typically, every roll of two ply toilet paper contains 2.7g of lamination adhesive and softening agents that bond the sheets together.

"It is not currently practical to prohibit users from flushing paper down the toilet, in the same way that some countries and cities have done, but these glues and nano-plastics cannot be filtered out and treated effectively in a sewage treatment plant. Adhesives are the main cause of toilet tissue clogging up pipes, forming a slow-moving sludge, leading to blocked pipework and drains and damage to treatment systems."

Tanki is created using virgin pulp, a by-product of timber grown for housing, from verified sustainable and actively managed sources.

O'Crowley said: "I'm proud we have been able to create and sustain an international business during the most challenging pandemic of the modern western world.

"Starting a business is normally a frantic round of face-to-face networking, but that has not been a possibility for us-everything has been done remotely, which has meant putting huge amounts of trust in people and other businesses.  Luckily for us, all of them have shown us enormous kindness and support.

"The business has evolved exactly as planned and is about to exceed all expectations as new markets keep opening up for the product.

"Now, the intention is to have Tanki in every boat, caravan, farmhouse and off grid home in the UK."

For more information, visit https://tanki.co.uk/, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, or contact Matt O'Crowley on 01743 213912 or via email info@tanki.co.uk. 

ENDS

For more press information, contact Rachael Holdsworth at Holdsworth PR on 01903 892060 or email rachael@holdsworthpr.co.uk. 

Images: 
Cambers Country Stores, one of the first to stock Tanki in 2020.

Matt O'Crowley and Mark Collins launched Tanki in lockdown (selection of images, credit Carol Bailey)

High resolution print or web images available - click here to download.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZNa270Pg0M4klyOMRLc2Cft06DPtdxD4?usp=sharing

Note to Editors:  Diversification into wedding venues has increased the need for good quality loos in rural locations - and the associated waste management problems.  With the wedding season around the corner, Tanki could help venues avoid an embarrassing problem.  Please contact us for more information if you would like to include the benefits of Tanki in features relating to wedding venues or other diversification projects. 
 
 
Best regards 
Rachael Holdsworth, MCIPR
Holdsworth PR & Marketing
Equestrian Public Relations and Marketing Communications Services
The Old Nursery Office, Rock Road, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 3BH, UK
T:  +44 (0)1903 892060   M:  07850 017587
rachael@holdsworthpr.co.uk
 www.holdsworthpr.co.uk

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