The Cheeky Panda

The Cheeky Panda is retailer of bamboo toilet paper, and other bamboo related products, based in the United Kingdom. The company creates paper products using bamboo, rather than wood pulp, and is known for its distinctive brand, and the panda mascot which appears in ads on television and in print.
The company was founded in January 2016 by London-based husband and wife team Chris Forbes and Julie Chen. Having cited concerns regarding the impacts of uncertainty caused by the Brexit process, the company has also established a base in France.
History
The Cheeky Panda has regularly used equity crowdfunding throughout its history, raising an initial £12,785 on Crowdfunder in April 2017, followed by three rounds on Seedrs, raising over £500k in August 2017, £1.6m in May 2019, and £2.4m in April 2020.
The company was ranked 48 in The Startups 100 2019 index citing the product's ethical benefits and scale of growth.
The company founders claim that their sales have increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular as a result of the spike in demand for toilet paper following the temporary supply shortages which were experienced by a number of UK supermarkets.
Awards
The Cheeky Panda is the UK's first 100% bamboo tissue brand, and has received numerous awards, notably in recognition of the sustainability of bamboo as an alternative to traditional wood pulp in producing paper products.
* June 2016: VOOM Impact Award.
* November 2016: National Business Awards, New Entrepreneur of the Year, finalist.
* November 2017: , shortlisted.
* July 2018: MSDUK Innovation Challenge 2018, finalist.
* July 2018: Young Stationers' Prize, Award for Print, Paper, and Packaging awarded to Julie Chen.
* June 2019: Scale-Up Business of the Year, awarded by the Federation of Small Businesses at the FSB London Regional Final.
* June 2019: Global Good Awards UK, Best Start-up Enterprise, Bronze award.
Environmental claims
The Cheeky Panda promotes the environmental benefits of its range of products due to being sourced from bamboo, however the reality could be more complex due to numerous variables involved in the production and transportation.

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