Ready for part 2? Click here!

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Ryan Fritsch is…the CEO and co-founder of Cloud Paper, the Earth’s leading bamboo toilet paper company. Before Cloud Paper, Ryan and co-founder, Austin Watkins, were 2 ambitious young guns at Uber Seattle, where they helped grow the that location into a billion dollar+ revenue generator.

They fast-followed their Superpump days with roles at Convoy, where they deepened their Product and Ops experience in a In one of the biggest industries in the world – transportation. 

But they wanted more! More impact, more mission, greater stakes, which ultimately lead them to Cloud Paper. So what makes bamboo so extraordinary and earth-saving? I’m glad you asked.

As a replacement for pulp in paper, bamboo can make 6x more than a pine plantation, rapidly sequesters CO2 in biomass & soil which is faster than any other plant, and keeps it there for 100s or 1000s of years!

It’s a wonder plant on every front, making it the picture perfect material for TP.

After selling over a million rolls of Cloud Paper, Ryan has learned a thing or 2. 

We dive deep into…what got him interested in the sustainability space,  Cloud Paper’s inception story, what they learned about the consumer’s appetite to spend money on this, how they balance making money AND being good for the planet, and what’s Ryan’s ideal TP “weapon of choice”? 

This episode is particularly valuable for…consumer-product-good entrepreneurs who have flirted with the idea of starting a sustainable or social-good company, or the everyday remote worker who spends a lot of time at home and has wanted to become more carbon neutral in the products they use.

Bon appétit! Oh, and there MIGHT be a discount at the end, just listen for the promo code!

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Show Notes

• [5:38] Getting people to think about swapping to climate-friendly consumer products.
• [7:02] How do you have such a calm demeanor?
• [9:53] Doing what scares you.
• [11:41] Who is Phyllostachys edulis? How long do they take to grow up?
• [12:44] The fastest growing plant in the world is bamboo.
• [13:50] How bamboo fuels its growth (carbon)
• [14:46] How bamboo does not need to be replanted
• [16:11] What got you interested in sustainability? When did you start thinking about these issues.
• [17:52] Companies that come to mind, that are making an impact?
• [20:02] What was the “ah ha!” moment to do toilet paper?
• [21:59] Creating generational change
• [22:29] What percentage of the paper market is toilet paper?
• [23:11] The most popular product at Costco
• [24:42] What got you to bamboo?
• [25:12] Why the trend is accelerating in cutting down trees for paper products
• [26:33] How bamboo already had a market, outside of the US
• [27:48] How they’re interested in getting families buying regular toilet paper, to buy bamboo paper products instead
• [28:56] Why aren’t we using more bamboo already in the states?
• [31:05] Seeing the shift towards sustainable living and habits
• [33:24] Where is institutional money and venture capital in this space?
• [35:41] How they wanted investors who could help tell Cloud Paper’s story and belief in their mission

Links from Episode

• 15% Off Promo Code: MAYHEM
• Connect with Ryan: LinkedIn | Twitter
• Connect with Austin: LinkedIn | Twitter
• Cloud Paper
• Cloud Paper Swish Clothes
• Cloud Paper Tissue Papers
• Plastic Free Movement
• Old Growth Trees
• Uber
• Convoy
• Blueland
• Additionality
• NRDC’s The Issue With Tissue
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

Have you ever tried bamboo toilet paper? Does it feel the same? Comment below 🙏🏽