Chairman of Germany's paper industry says the country may face serious toilet paper shortage

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Germans may soon face a serious toilet paper shortage, the chairman of the country’s paper industry association has warned. His remarks come in the wake of the impending energy crisis that Germany is set to face.

The potential shortage of toilet paper risks creating a new toilet paper run, which is a repeat of the start of the pandemic, when people were panicking while buying toilet paper.

“We are particularly dependent on gas for the production of tissue paper. Without it, we will no longer be able to provide security of supply,” said Die Papierindustrie Chief Martin Krengel in a statement released to the German press. 

“In the current energy crisis, our top priority is to provide people with this important commodity,” he continued, acknowledging that his remarks could spark panic buying.

As detailed by Summit News, the average German uses 134 toilet paper rolls each year. 

“Last month, the Bavarian Paper Association warned that factories forced to run at reduced capacity as a result of natural gas shortages would become unprofitable,” the publication reported. “Fearing food shortages as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, there were also runs on items such as flour and cooking oil earlier this year.” 

Krengel’s remarks are likely to spark a run on the commodity. The German market had already strained with high demand for electric heaters, firewood, and stoves, which are already short in supply as Germans prepare to ration energy this winter.

German officials have made a variety of proposals for citizens to cope with the impending crisis, suggesting that they stop taking showers and use washcloths, or bunk in public areas set up for heating.

Some officials, like the Interior Minister of North-Rhine Westphalia, Herbert Reul, suggested that anyone planning to protest the energy shortage is an “enemy of the state,” Rebel News reported.