Toilet paper

I recently read some articles that state that many of the top US brands of toilet tissue contain no recycled content and are made with wood fiber from Canada’s boreal forests.  Boreal forests cover vast expanses in Canada, Alaska, and Russia and are crucial to our planet, as they store 30% to 40% of land-based carbon.  These forests make up one of the world’s last remaining stretches of true wilderness and are filled with centuries-old conifers and birches.  Each year, industrial logging operations clearcut approximately one million acres of intact forest, feeding demand for Canada’s wood products—of which the United States is the largest purchaser.  Much of this logging goes to make toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues that consumers use once and then just throw away.  Several of the typical brands of toilet paper in the US have no recycled content and are made with virgin forest fiber from the boreal forests. 

There are many reasons to reconsider the brand of toilet paper you use.  Boreal forests are important for our planet’s future.  Toilet paper made with recycled content has one-third the carbon footprint of toilet paper made from virgin wood fiber from trees.  Some companies offer these products made from more sustainable plants.  Also, there are several types of bleaching processes used to manufacture toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues, and some of the processes are more harmful to the environment than others.   The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has researched various brands in the US and has developed a report that uses several factors to evaluate the sustainability of various US brands of toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue.  The report is titled “The Issue with Tissue” https://www.nrdc.org/bio/ashley-jordan/2022-tissue-scorecard-tps-future-lies-sustainability and was last updated in 2022.  I believe the report covers only US brands, but I hope non-US readers can use the information in the NRDC report to find information to evaluate your local brands.  One other thing – evaluate your own habits.  Are you using more toilet paper, facial tissue, or paper towels than required for each use?