Renova, a Portuguese toilet paper manufacturer, is battling to survive in a stagnant, commoditised market dominated by international giants and private labels. To grow and remain independent, CEO Paulo Pereira da Silva is considering three options: 1) private label manufacturing, 2) new functional innovations, and 3) launching a black toilet paper. What should he do?

Renova, fabricant portugais de papier toilette, se bat pour survivre dans un marché banalisé et stagnant dominé par les géants mondiaux et les marques de distributeurs.

Renova, empresa portuguesa fabricante de papel higiénico, está luchando por la supervivencia en un mercado de productos básicos estancado y dominado por gigantes internacionales y marcas blancas.

A Renova, um fabricante Português de papel higiénico, luta para sobreviver num mercado em estagnação e generalizado, dominado pelos gigantes internacionais e marcas privadas. Com vista a crescer e permanecer independente, o CEO Paulo Pereira da Silva considera três opções 1) a produção de uma marca privada, 2) novas inovações funcionais e 3) o lançamento de papel higiénico preto.

Paulo Pereira da Silva, a Swiss-trained physicist and CEO of Renova, a privately-owned Portuguese paper company, was attending a Cirque du Soleil show when he first came up with the idea of black toilet paper. To see how far-fetched the idea is, bear in mind that toilet paper is a highly commoditized category with sluggish growth and little innovation.