Exploring Sustainable Options for Toilet Paper

In today’s market, the toilet paper aisle is filled with various products claiming to be more eco-friendly, ranging from bamboo and recycled materials to those with “forest-safe” labels. But do these alternatives truly benefit the environment, and is it possible to eliminate the use of paper entirely? Let’s delve into these questions.

Please don’t flush the forest

If you’re based in the United States, the toilet paper roll in your bathroom likely originates from North or South America. It may be a combination of trees from the Southeastern United States and Canada’s boreal forest, or possibly eucalyptus sourced from Brazil. However, these sources pose significant environmental challenges.

Harvesting trees from the planet’s old, intact forests and replacing natural woodlands with large monocultures has detrimental effects on biodiversity. Furthermore, mature trees store more carbon, making them crucial in mitigating climate change. Logging activities have also led to the displacement of Indigenous communities worldwide.

To minimize the environmental impact when using toilet paper, the best approach is to reduce the consumption of conventional paper products in your household. If you aim to achieve this goal without drastically altering your bathroom routine, opting for toilet paper made from recycled materials is a favorable choice.

Recycled paper helps preserve trees and requires fewer resources during the production process. According to data from paper mills in the United States, the Environmental Paper Network estimates that tissue made from 100% recycled materials uses approximately half the amount of water and 37% less total energy compared to virgin fiber sourced from newly cut trees. Additionally, recycled paper production generates around 70% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.