Cottonsoft Limited

What Cottonsoft Limited does

Cottonsoft Limited is a New Zealand-based tissue and hygiene product manufacturer operating as a subsidiary of Indonesia-based Asia Pulp & Paper (Sinarmas group). Founded in 1988, the company broke the then-existing monopoly in the NZ toilet paper market and has since grown into the country's #1 retail toilet tissue supplier by both value and volume (IRI scan sales, August 2022), with a 210-person workforce across three converting/manufacturing sites in Auckland (East Tamaki and Manukau) and Dunedin. The firm operates a portfolio of seven brands spanning value (KiwiSoft), mainstream (CottonSofts), premium (Paseo), sustainability (EarthSmart), baby care (CUTE & CO.), and commercial/Away From Home (Livi) segments.

The company's core technology is tissue paper converting — physical processing of jumbo pulp rolls into finished retail and commercial tissue products. All retail SKUs carry PEFC Chain of Custody certification (sustainable fibre traceability) and a significant subset carry Eco Choice Aotearoa (ECA) government-endorsed ecolabels. Cottonsoft chairs the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme accredited by the NZ Ministry for the Environment, accessible to 70% of the population via major supermarket chains and diverting 12 tonnes of plastic weekly from landfill. Raw material supply is anchored to parent APP's Indonesian pulp plantations.

Cottonsoft generates revenue through physical-goods sales across two channels: a consumer retail channel distributing CottonSofts, Paseo, KiwiSoft, Tuffy, EarthSmart, and CUTE & CO. products through NZ supermarket chains (Countdown, New World, Pak n Save, The Warehouse, Huckleberry), and a B2B commercial channel via the tiered Livi brand (Everyday/Essentials/Impressa) targeting hotels, restaurants, and facilities. The business model is sales-led, distribution-driven, with no digital/API surface and no disclosed subscription or SaaS component. Long-term brand differentiation is built through the Bowel Cancer NZ sponsorship (since May 2013) with symptom information printed on CottonSofts packaging.

Name

Cottonsoft Limited

Legal name

Cottonsoft Limited

Website

https://cottonsoft.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cottonsoft Limited is a New Zealand tissue and hygiene product manufacturer and the country's #1 retail toilet tissue supplier, producing consumer brands (CottonSofts, Paseo, EarthSmart, CUTE & CO.) and the B2B Livi line, distributed through major supermarket chains and commercial facilities across New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Care & Household Paper Products

NAICS

Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing (322291), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (31323)

SIC

Paper Mills (2621), Papers & Allied Products (2600), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Tissue Paper (Facial, Toilet, Paper Towels, Napkins) (IMAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Paper Towels (CRAJAFAB), Paper Handkerchiefs & Pocket Tissues (CRAJAFAG), Professional Laundry & Hygiene Paper Systems (Rolls, Refills, Managed Programs) (IMAMAGAL), Recycled Tissue & Hygiene Products (IMAMAKAF)

Keywords

• Tissue paper products
• Personal care goods
• Household paper products
• Private label manufacturing
• Consumer paper products

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Tissue Products: Manufacture and sale of toilet tissue, facial tissues, paper towels, and napkins under brands including CottonSofts, Paseo, KiwiSoft, Tuffy, and EarthSmart through supermarket retail channels.
2. Livi Commercial/Away From Home: B2B paper and hygiene solutions for businesses including hotels, restaurants, and commercial facilities, with tiered product levels (Livi Everyday, Livi Essentials, Livi Impressa).
3. CUTE & CO. Baby Products: Premium baby nappies, nappy pants, and plastic-free baby wipes sold through retail channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cottonsoft Limited manufactures and supplies branded and private-label personal hygiene and household paper products — including toilet tissue, paper towels, facial tissues, and napkins — for New Zealand consumers and retailers. The company operates as New Zealand's only domestic tissue manufacturer, producing from its Penrose (Auckland) and Kawakawa (South Island) mills. Distribution is channeled through major supermarket chains domestically, with additional export into Pacific Island markets.

Product overview

Cottonsoft Limited is a New Zealand-based tissue and hygiene product manufacturer operating two converting plants in Auckland and Dunedin. The company produces a portfolio of consumer tissue products under brands including CottonSofts (toilet tissue with bowel cancer awareness messaging), Paseo (premium 3-ply luxury tissue), KiwiSoft (toilet tissue), Tuffy (paper towels in multiple ply weights), and EarthSmart (recycled-content and plastic-free packaging). The CUTE & CO. brand extends into baby care with nappies featuring DryFit+ technology and plastic-free wipes. For the commercial/Away From Home market, Livi provides tiered paper and hygiene solutions with配套 dispensers across three quality levels. All products are PEFC certified with significant numbers also carrying ECA ecolabels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CottonSofts: Premium toilet tissue brand available in multiple pack sizes including XL 6-pack and 24-pack. The first brand in New Zealand to print bowel cancer symptoms on its packaging.
• Paseo
• KiwiSoft
• Tuffy
• EarthSmart
• CUTE & CO.
• Livi

Products and services

• Cottonsoft toilet tissue
• Sorbent toilet tissue
• Paper towels
• Facial tissues
• Napkins
• Private-label tissue products

Quantifiable outcome

• New Zealand's #1 retail supplier ($ MAT AND Volume; IRI scan sales data)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Bowel Cancer New Zealand (BCNZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2013Long-term partnership since May 2013 supporting bowel cancer awareness. CottonSofts prints bowel cancer symptoms on packaging and runs Move Your Butt fundraising campaigns. Donation of 50 cents per fundraising pack, with matched donations up to $30,000. The partnership has helped grow BCNZ from grass roots to helping 1 in 8 New Zealanders diagnosed with bowel cancer.
• Asia Pulp & Paper (APP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesia-based supplier providing pulp and paper materials. APP announced one million hectare forest conservation pledge and Forest Conservation Policy. Cottonsoft products sourced from APP's certified sustainable plantation species with zero deforestation commitment.
• Soft Plastics Recycling SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation member of New Zealand's soft plastics recycling scheme chaired by Cottonsoft's Malcolm Everts. Scheme accessible to 70% of population via Countdown, New World & Pak n Save supermarkets, diverting 12 tonnes of plastic weekly from landfill.
• Future PoststrategicTechnology or IntegrationKiwi company converting soft plastics into fence posts. Processed 300 tonnes (75 truck loads) of soft plastic since start of year. Each fence post contains equivalent of 550 plastic bags. Villa Maria winery trialling use of Future Posts.
• The Packaging ForumstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry body managing soft plastics recycling scheme. Cottonsoft serves as foundation member and scheme Chair Malcolm Everts represents the company. Scheme accredited by Ministry for Environment with targets for 35% recycling rate by 2025.
• Countdown, New World, Pak n SavecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor New Zealand supermarket chains distributing Cottonsoft retail products and hosting soft plastics recycling collection bins at 37+ stores across Auckland.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sofidel: Italian tissue manufacturer with consumer and AFH ranges across Europe and globally; closest comparable as a branded tissue converter with private-label and premium offerings.
• Asaleo Care (Essity ANZ): ANZ tissue and hygiene operator (Tena, Tork, Sorbent, Libra) acquired by Essity; direct competitor to Cottonsoft in the New Zealand and Australian retail tissue market.
• WEPA Group: European family-owned tissue manufacturer with consumer and AFH brands (e.g., Lotus, Mewa); closest peer in size and private-equity-relevant scale as a privately held regional tissue specialist.
• Cascades: North American tissue and packaging producer with AFH and consumer tissue businesses; comparable converting model, sustainability positioning, and Away-From-Home channel exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Kimberly-Clark: Global tissue/hygiene giant (Kleenex, Scott, Andrex); competes in the same toilet tissue and paper towel categories Cottonsoft serves and is the archetypal global benchmark for scale.
• Procter & Gamble (Tissue & Hygiene): Global CPG major with Charmin, Puffs, Bounty and Pampers; comparable product breadth across toilet tissue, paper towels and baby care, and the principal competitive threat in CUTE & CO.'s nappy category.
• Suzano: Brazilian pulp and emerging tissue/hygiene producer with sustainability certifications; comparable vertically integrated fibre-to-tissue model with PEFC-equivalent credentials.
• Essity: Global tissue and hygiene major (Tork, Velvet, Purex) operating across consumer and Away-From-Home tissue; directly comparable to Cottonsoft's product mix and dominant in adjacent ANZ markets via Asaleo Care.

Emerging players

• Solaris Paper: Asia-Pacific tissue specialist focused on AFH and consumer tissue; comparable mid-sized converter competing in the same Away-From-Home category as Cottonsoft's Livi brand.

Regional players

• ABC Tissue: Australian tissue manufacturer serving retail and AFH markets across Australasia; comparable regional converter competing with Cottonsoft in cross-Tasman retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cottonsoft Limited