Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper
Changing to eco-friendly toilet paper and paper towels can have a significant impact on the planet. Making a roll of toilet paper uses 1.5 pounds of wood, 37 gallons of water and 1.3 KWh of electricity. In the United States, 270,000 trees are flushed down the toilet every day. We can no longer afford to ignore the consequences yet many people still have no idea of the real damage being done every day.
One of the most powerful and simplest ways to immediately lower your carbon footprint is to use eco-friendly toilet paper and paper towels. In the United States, we use more than 50 pounds of tissue and toilet paper products per person every year. This is 50% more than the consumption rate in Western Europe and Japan, and usage continues to grow every year. About two-thirds of tissue paper use is at home and one-third is away from home, so the majority of tissue purchasing and use is within your control.
Recycled, Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper
Most tissue products today, like toilet paper, kitchen towels, and napkins – are made of virgin fibers and not recycled materials. Using recycled paper is not good enough. But recycling is not the only problem. Unsustainable and illegal logging continues to be a problem and the use of bleaching chemicals all contribute to devastating environmental damage.
Eco-friendly encompasses a lot of areas. You want to use recycled paper but you also want to look at the chemicals used, the forest practices employed and the business practices of the company you decided to reward with your purchase. 
How to Choose Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper
Most tissue products bought by household consumers contain very little recycled paper. Even the eco-friendly toilet paper on Amazon is made from renewable materials but most are not recycled, and it cost more! The recycling rate in the tissue sector is significantly lower than in the rest of the paper sector. Many manufacturers claim they to harvest virgin wood to get the softness or appearance that consumers want. The worst possible use of virgin wood is tissue paper.
Using virgin fiber to make tissue paper is the worst possible use. Unlike other paper products, tissue cannot be recycled. It is the final use of the fiber. If virgin fiber is used to make tissue it will be the first and last time it is used. Demanding recycled, eco-friendly paper ensures the trees harvested are used many times instead of only once.
More Benefits of Recycled, Eco-Friendly Paper
- Paper fiber can only be recycled a few times. Because of this, tissue is a good final use.
- Recycled paper uses 50% less water in manufacturing.
- Recycled paper uses 40% less energy in manufacturing.
- Recycling causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution. (From United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- Recycled paper does not need re-bleaching. This means NO toxic dioxin and chlorine is used.
Choosing an Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper Brand
- Choose a product with high recycled content, preferably 100%. It’s a myth that recycled tissue products are not as soft as nonrecycled products.
- Watch for misleading claims on the packaging. Recycling claims may only refer to the wrapping and not the tissue product.
- Can’t find eco-friendly tissue products? Ask for them! Retailers need to know you don’t want to buy toilet paper which that unnecessarily damages the environment.
- Ask about the level of recycled content! If you don’t see a brand name ask the retailer. The origins of store brands can be hard to determine as they are sourced from the tissue giants as well as a multitude of other manufacturers
Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper Delivered to Your Door!
One new company that stands out and the company I use is Better Planet Paper. This is a company that is destined to become the people’s paper. It’s a member-owned co-op that delivers a higher quality, lower priced eco-friendly toilet paper right to your door. It’s free to enroll (no credit card required) and you only order what you need when you need it.
Not only is it eco-friendly; they also plant a tree with every purchase! If you refer 3 others to the co-op your paper is free. I invite you to learn more about Better Planet Paper and how you can be part of the eco-friendly toilet paper movement.
