Have you ever thought about what your toilet paper is made of?
Americans, just 4 percent of the world’s population, are responsible for 20 percent of global toilet paper (TP) consumption. This is about 36 billion rolls per year. And yet, we often don’t discuss, care, or think about what toilet paper is actually made of! Though I’m sure most of us have seen those Charmin toilet paper commercials where cartoon bears are using extra soft TP so that it feels nice on their hairy bums? These nonsensical commercials make it seem like TP is so trivial but in reality, conventional TP is very harmful to you and the planet.
THE HISTORY OF TOILET PAPER:
From leaves to moss to natural sponges, people have used a lot of different things for wiping over the years. The first TP created was actually from banana leaves.
It wasn’t until the 19th century that the Scott brothers figured out how to commercialize TP made from trees which required lots of chemicals and a lot of water to turn the hard wood into soft paper. Today some people are even are taking it so far as to dye TP into different colors?!
The xylospongium: an early Roman alternative to toilet paper was a sponge on the end of a stick.
5 FACTS ABOUT CONVENTIONAL TP:
Conventional TP brands use bleach and other chemicals like PFAS to make the paper white and fluffy. These chemicals can cause UTIs, fissures, vulvar irritation, and hemorrhoids. These chemicals also find their way into our waterways and sewer systems, where they form hard-to-eradicate toxic compounds known as persistent organic pollutants.
The top three companies that produce TP — P&G, Kimberly-Clark and Georgia-Pacific — rely almost exclusively on virgin pulp for their products. Virgin pulp means they cut down trees specifically to make TP.
The world’s largest intact forest, the Canadian boreal, is being cut down at an alarming rate—more than 1 million acres per year—in part to feed consumer demand for paper products. This industrial logging not only cuts down trees which is one of the planet’s most important defenses against climate change, but also destroys and degrades wildlife habitats and Indigenous communities.
Most conventional TP also comes in plastic packaging which takes finite resources to create and never fully biodegrades.
SO WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO CONVENTIONAL TP?
You could buy TP made from bamboo, made from recycled tree paper, made from cloth, or not buy TP at all and use a bidet. Let’s go through each option!
"TREE FREE" AKA BAMBOO TP5 FACTS ABOUT BAMBOO TP:
Bamboo TP is more brown in color, because there is no bleach, chlorine or formaldehyde used to turn it white.
Bamboo TP is made entirely without trees, requires far less water to grow and process, and produces up to ten times more usable pulp on an equivalent parcel of land.
Bamboo toilet paper is generally 100% biodegradable; it will decompose naturally and break down much faster than regular or recycled varieties, some of which can take several years to fully decompose.
Bamboo brands usually use plastic free packaging and some brands allow you to buy a box of “naked rolls,” which further reduces paper waste.
RECYCLED TREE TP5 FACTS ABOUT RECYCLED TREE TP
Brands that use recycled content usually have a PCF (processed chlorine-free) label — meaning it's been bleached using less toxic methods — or, better yet, the TCF (totally chlorine-free) label.
TP made of recycled content produces less than one-third of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions and requires about half as much water to produce.
Pre-consumer recycled content is a step in the right direction as it collects scrap material collected during the manufacturing process.
Post-consumer recycled content is made from waste that’s been used by a consumer, disposed of, and diverted from landfills—stuff like the aluminum cans and newspapers that you place in your recycling bin for pick-up.
REUSABLE TP If I had a washing machine in my apartment I might consider this option since it saves resources and money.
But you do have to be careful and wash these cloths in a hot-water laundry cycle that’s at least 160°F (71°C) for at least 25 minutes, or a sanitize setting if you have one. You also need to keep the soiled cloths in a hamper lined with a plastic garbage bag or a pail or other container that has a solution with vinegar, peroxide, or other antibacterial chemicals.
Like all reusable items, many argue that you still energy and water to wash these items. But given all the resources that go into manufacturing TP, I do think in terms of cost, over time, this option does save resources and money.
I also think using reusable TP would encourage one to use less of it, knowing they had to wash it rather than just flush it down the toilet!
A BIDETBut since 2020, U.S. interest in bidets and attachments for toilets have spiked. The initial trigger was consumer panic at the onset of the pandemic driving a shortage of toilet paper.
Personally, I’m not there yet, but I am considering buying an attachment as it saves money and paper resources.
BEWARE OF GREENWASHING!
Do keep in mind, though, that even third-party certifications can have issues.
Conventional brands may try to claim they are planting trees, but trees take time to reach maturity, and it is only in their maturity that trees really begin to sequester carbon efficiently. So it’s not an urgent solution to fight global warming systems.
IN CONCLUSION:
I used to buy paper products from Seventh Generation because they are a B-Corp which uses 100% recycled paper (at least 50% post consumer recycled paper) in their TP and tissues. However, Seventh Generation was bought by Unilever, which represents a lot of toxic brands, so they are not my first choice.
Of course on the flip side, this is good news: “The line between social enterprises and “regular” enterprises may be disappearing. Social enterprises are now entering the mainstream.” More mainstream stores will sell Seventh Generation thus exposing more Americans to the concept of recycled paper products.
Lately, I’ve been buying from Plant Paper because they ship TP and tissues in 100% cardboard packaging, and the TP can even come without wrapping thus reducing waste even more. Once I started this blog, I reached out for an affiliate link because I truly love and use their products.
It's understandable that many people buy the conventional TP from the store just around the corner for convenience and to support local. But supporting the monopoly of TP companies actually has a huge impact on our planet. So I encourage you to talk to your local stores about selling recycled paper products or bamboo; they want your business!
You can also support this petition to call on P&G to stop making its toilet paper almost entirely from forest fiber, fueling forest degradation, and instead use more sustainable alternatives that will help transform supply chains and, ultimately, the health of our planet’s forests.
xx
Hannah
