Cottonsoft
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersEast Tamaki, New Zealand
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Cottonsoft firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cottonsoft
- Legal name
- Cottonsoft Limited
- Website
- https://cottonsoft.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cottonsoft industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tissue and Paper Products Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing (322291)
- SIC
- Papers & Allied Products (2600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Tissue Paper (Facial, Toilet, Paper Towels, Napkins) (IMAMAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Professional Laundry & Hygiene Paper Systems (Rolls, Refills, Managed Programs) (IMAMAGAL), Recycled Tissue & Hygiene Products (IMAMAKAF), Paper Towels & Tissue Dispensers (Consumer/At-home) (CRAJAFAH)
Keywords
Where Cottonsoft is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- East Tamaki
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cottonsoft business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Tissue Products: Sale of branded tissue products including toilet tissue, facial tissues, and paper towels through major New Zealand retail chains.
- B2B Commercial Products (Livi): Sale of commercial paper and hygiene solutions to businesses including hotels, restaurants, and facilities management through the Livi brand targeting the Away From Home market.
- Baby Care Products (CUTE & CO.): Sale of nappies, nappy pants, and plastic-free baby wipes through retail and dedicated e-commerce.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cottonsoft product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cottonsoft manufactures and distributes toilet tissue, facial tissues, paper towels, napkins, baby nappies and wipes, and commercial Away-From-Home hygiene products from three manufacturing sites in New Zealand. Its consumer brands (CottonSofts, Paseo, KiwiSoft, Tuffy, EarthSmart, CUTE & CO.) are sold primarily through major grocery and retail chains, while the Livi brand serves business customers with commercial tissue, hand towels, and dispensers. Products are made from PEFC-certified wood fibre with select ranges using 100% recycled paper and plastic-free packaging.
Product overview
Cottonsoft is a New Zealand tissue and paper products manufacturer offering a portfolio of consumer and commercial brands. Consumer brands include CottonSofts (flagship toilet tissue), Paseo (premium luxury tissue), KiwiSoft (value tissue), Tuffy (paper towels), EarthSmart (recycled/sustainable range), EarthSmart Aquawipes (baby wipes), and CUTE & CO. (nappies and baby wipes). Commercial B2B offerings include Livi, a three-tiered paper and hygiene brand (Everyday, Essentials, Impressa) serving the Away From Home market with dispensers. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Auckland and Dunedin, producing toilet tissue, facial tissues, paper towels, napkins, and commercial products for hotels and restaurants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CottonSofts: Premium toilet tissue brand - the company's flagship consumer tissue brand.
- Paseo
- KiwiSoft
- Tuffy
- EarthSmart
- EarthSmart Aquawipes
- CUTE & CO.
- Livi
Products and services
- CottonSofts Cottonsoft's flagship premium toilet tissue brand, sold in multiple pack sizes including a 24-pack Double Length and the CottonSofts XL 6 Pack. Packaging prints bowel cancer symptom information as part of the long-standing BCNZ partnership, and the brand targets New Zealand households seeking soft, locally made tissue.
- Paseo Premium luxury 3-ply toilet tissue and facial tissue brand offering soft, designer-pack products made from PEFC-certified rapidly renewable fibre. Available in toilet tissue and facial tissue SKUs with premium box designs.
- KiwiSoft Consumer toilet tissue brand targeting value-conscious New Zealand households, offering reliable everyday quality at an accessible price point within Cottonsoft's portfolio.
- Tuffy Paper towel brand available in 2-ply, 3-ply, and 4-ply varieties with a synchronized embossed pattern and lamination adhesive for wet strength. Also offered in commercial grade for Away-From-Home customers.
- EarthSmart Sustainable tissue range featuring 100% recycled paper and plastic-free packaging, including toilet tissue and facial tissues that are biodegradable and septic-safe. Made from rapidly renewable fibre.
- EarthSmart Aquawipes Baby wipes made in New Zealand using 100% biodegradable bamboo fibre and pure New Zealand water. Free from plastic, parabens, alcohol, and soap; hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive skin. Available in All Natural and Aloe Vera & Vitamin E variants.
- CUTE & CO. Nappies Premium unisex nappies featuring DryFit+ multi-layer absorbency core technology, double leak guards, and dermatologically tested formulas. Available in sizes from newborn through junior.
- CUTE & CO. Pants Premium unisex nappy pants designed as ultra-thin, super absorbent pull-ups for active toddlers. Available in walker, toddler, and junior sizes under the CUTE & CO. brand.
- CUTE & CO. Wipes Plant-based, plastic-free baby wipes with resealable lid packaging. Formaldehyde free, paraben free, soap free, pH balanced, and alcohol free.
- Livi Everyday Value tier of the Livi B2B commercial range offering competitively priced toilet tissue and hand towels for high-volume facilities such as public washrooms and large workplaces.
- Livi Essentials Mid-range Livi B2B tier providing reliable everyday toilet tissue, hand towels, and facial tissues suitable for both high and low volume commercial areas.
- Livi Impressa Ultra-premium Livi B2B tier offering high-softness toilet tissue, hand towels, and facial tissues positioned for luxury hospitality and statement washroom environments.
- Livi Dispenser Range Range of toilet tissue, hand towel, paper towel, and soap dispensers designed to complement the Livi consumable tiers. Includes classic black and white dispensers plus bold coloured options for statement washrooms.
Quantifiable outcome
- New Zealand's #1 retail supplier of toilet tissue by market share
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cottonsoft
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cottonsoft technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cottonsoft partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Soft Plastics Recycling SchemecoreCottonsoft is a foundation member of the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, which diverts 12 tonnes of plastic per week from NZ landfill. The scheme is accessible to 70% of Kiwis via Countdown, New World, and Pak n Save supermarkets. Malcolm Everts of Cottonsoft serves as Chair of the scheme. The scheme was accredited by the Ministry for Environment with targets to achieve 35% recycling rate by 2025.
- Bowel Cancer New ZealandcoreLong-term partnership since May 2013. CottonSofts became a proud sponsor and supporter of Bowel Cancer New Zealand, the charity committed to improving bowel cancer awareness. Cottonsoft prints bowel cancer symptoms on CottonSofts packaging and has donated over $20,000 for awareness campaigns. Each purchase of CottonSofts Move Your Butt 24-pack includes a 50 cent per pack contribution to BCNZ. The partnership has continued through annual Bowel Cancer Awareness Month activities including the Move Your Butt challenge.
- The Packaging ForumcoreCottonsoft participates in The Packaging Forum which manages the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme. The Forum brings together manufacturers, retailers, and consumers to reduce plastic waste through the Packaging Forum's various programmes including public place recycling and litter abatement.
- Asia Pulp & Paper (APP)coreAPP is Cottonsoft's Indonesia-based supplier of pulp and paper products. APP has committed to Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2020 including forest conservation, high conservation value forest protection, and zero deforestation policies. APP announced commitment to restore and conserve one million hectares of forest across Indonesia. Cottonsoft's products are sourced from APP's PEFC-certified operations.
- Future PostminorFuture Post processes soft plastics collected through the recycling scheme into plastic fence posts. The company has recycled 300 tonnes (75 truck loads) of plastic since start of the year, using the equivalent of 550 plastic bags per fence post. Products are BioGro-certified for organic farms.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cottonsoft competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Asaleo Care (Essity Australasia): Asaleo Care (now part of Essity) is the most direct comparable — an Australasian tissue and hygiene manufacturer with leading ANZ brands including Sorbent, Purex, Handee Ultras, and Tork for the AFH channel. Directly competes with Cottonsoft on retail shelves in NZ and Australia and in Away-From-Home commercial supply.
- Solaris Paper: Solaris Paper Australia is Cottonsoft's sister company under APP Group, manufacturing and distributing tissue brands (Sorbent, Velvet) in Australia. Closest operational analogue — same parent, similar manufacturing-plus-distribution model — and a potential cross-Tasman expansion template for Cottonsoft.
Broad incumbents
- Kimberly-Clark Australia & New Zealand: Kimberly-Clark operates global tissue and hygiene brands (Kleenex, Cottonelle, Huggies) including in NZ. A much larger incumbent that competes across consumer tissue and baby categories, including directly with Cottonsoft's CottonSofts and CUTE & CO. ranges.
- Essity (Tork): Swedish-based global hygiene and tissue company owning Tork (AFH), Lotus, and Tempo. Through its Asaleo Care acquisition, Essity is one of Cottonsoft's most direct competitors in both NZ retail tissue and AFH commercial channels via the Livi brand.
- Procter & Gamble (Charmin): P&G's Charmin is a global premium toilet tissue brand available in NZ. As a global FMCG giant with massive marketing budgets, P&G competes at the premium end of the NZ tissue market where Cottonsoft positions its Paseo brand.
- Unicharm Corporation: Japanese global leader in baby care and feminine hygiene (Mamy Poko, Moony). Directly comparable to Cottonsoft's CUTE & CO. nappies/wipes expansion and a key competitor if Cottonsoft seeks to scale its baby category.
- WEPA Industrieholding: European family-owned tissue manufacturer with strong sustainability positioning and PEFC/FSC certifications. Comparable in operating model (vertically integrated tissue manufacturer with strong sustainability credentials) and a benchmark for Cottonsoft's eco/EarthSmart positioning.
- Hengan International: Chinese tissue and personal care conglomerate operating multi-tier brand portfolios across tissue, baby care, and hygiene. Comparable in its brand-tiering strategy (value-to-premium spread) that mirrors Cottonsoft's eight-brand portfolio architecture.
Regional players
- ABC Tissue Products: Australian-owned tissue manufacturer producing private-label and branded tissue products. Comparable scale and product mix to Cottonsoft, though focused primarily on the Australian market rather than direct NZ retail competition.
- Quilton (Sealed Air / Australian Tissue): Australian tissue brand and manufacturer (Quilton) competing primarily in the Australian market. Comparable in product category and mid-tier positioning, though geographically focused on Australia rather than direct NZ competition with Cottonsoft.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cottonsoft social profiles
Digital presenceCottonsoft compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Cottonsoft financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cottonsoft leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Cottonsoft funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cottonsoft M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cottonsoft
What does Cottonsoft do?
Cottonsoft manufactures and distributes toilet tissue, facial tissues, paper towels, napkins, baby nappies and wipes, and commercial Away-From-Home hygiene products from three manufacturing sites in New Zealand. Its consumer brands (CottonSofts, Paseo, KiwiSoft, Tuffy, EarthSmart, CUTE & CO.) are sold primarily through major grocery and retail chains, while the Livi brand serves business customers with commercial tissue, hand towels, and dispensers. Products are made from PEFC-certified wood fibre with select ranges using 100% recycled paper and plastic-free packaging.
Is Cottonsoft a public or private company?
Cottonsoft is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Cottonsoft founded?
Cottonsoft was founded in 1988. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cottonsoft based?
Cottonsoft is headquartered in East Tamaki, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Cottonsoft make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Tissue Products are the primary driver. The others are B2B Commercial Products (Livi) and baby Care Products (CUTE & CO.).
Who are Cottonsoft's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Asaleo Care (Essity Australasia) and Solaris Paper. Broad incumbents are Kimberly-Clark Australia & New Zealand, Essity (Tork), Procter & Gamble (Charmin), Unicharm Corporation, WEPA Industrieholding and Hengan International. Regional players are ABC Tissue Products and Quilton (Sealed Air / Australian Tissue).
Does Cottonsoft have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cottonsoft.
What industry is Cottonsoft in?
Cottonsoft's product category is Tissue and Paper Products Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAGAA, Consumer Tissue Paper (Facial, Toilet, Paper Towels, Napkins), with a secondary code of IMAMAGAL, Professional Laundry & Hygiene Paper Systems (Rolls, Refills, Managed Programs). Its NAICS code is 322291 and its SIC code is 2600.