The average American uses a staggering 141 rolls of toilet paper every year, or roughly 12.7 kilograms of bathroom tissue. There’s no time like the present to switch to a more sustainable toilet paper brand, or install a bidet!
Below, you can peruse my musings on how to choose more sustainable bathroom tissue and what we can all learn from the French about eco-friendly ablutions. Following that, you’ll find my top choices for plastic-free, eco-friendly toilet paper.
Certifications to look for
The majority of toilet tissue is still made using virgin wood pulp from clear-cut forests. This is absolutely devastating for the worldwide ecosystem, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and climate change. FSC certification is certainly an improvement on uncontrolled clearcutting, but most FSC certified products still rely on virgin wood.
To make more sustainable choices for toilet paper, you’ll want to get to know three FSC certifications:
- 100% FSC – From well-managed forests
- FSC RECYCLED – Made from recycled material
- FSC MIX – From responsible sources.
For more sustainable toilet paper, look for the FSC RECYCLED logo. This type of toilet tissue comprises solely wood from pre-or post-consumer waste. Ideally, most of this would be post-consumer waste (which has a much lower environmental impact than virgin wood and pre-consumer waste). Post-consumer waste is typically paper waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Why recycled toilet paper is best
- Bleach is a common component of toilet tissue manufacturing.
- Manufacturers use bleach to whiten, soften, and strengthen toilet paper, but it’s totally unnecessary.
- Most manufacturers used to use elemental chlorine bleach in pulp and paper production. This kind of chlorine produces byproducts that are among some of the worst offending synthetic chemicals.
- These include carcinogenic dioxins that also harm aquatic ecosystems.
- Thankfully, the level of BPA in paper is already quite low and in recycled paper is even lower – far lower than BPA exposure from food packaging.
- Virgin paper products require the use of far more chemical inputs than recycled paper. So, if you’re concerned about dioxins and the environment, it’s almost always better to choose recycled toilet tissue over virgin paper.
- For top marks, choose a brand that only makes unbleached, undyed toilet tissue or only uses TCF processes.
Our top picks
Who Gives a Crap 100% Recycled Toilet Paper
Highlights: In-stock at LeafScore Essentials. Cute brand of toilet tissue comprising 100% recycled paper. Made by a B Corp that donates 50% of profits to improve sanitation worldwide and offers carbon neutral shipping.
Who Gives a Crap is an Australian company founded in 2013 and the brand recently made its way into our online store where we carry inventory. It makes two types of toilet tissue, one from bamboo and one using 100% recycled paper. While the bamboo option is more eco-friendly than virgin wood pulp, the recycled option is much more sustainable overall. The company sources the paper close to its production facilities, including from schools and offices.
This 3-ply paper is soft and comfortable. Because it is a bulkier roll than standard, the value per sheet is really rather good. WGaC uses vegetable inks and paper and you can recycle or compost all packaging, including the central cardboard roll.
Who Gives a Crap is a certified Benefit Corporation (B Corp), meaning it has some solid social and environmental ethics. It has bases in the UK and USA and manufactures the paper in China. The company is actively looking to manufacture in other locations to make its supply chains even more efficient and sustainable. The company offers carbon neutral shipping.
As with many of these eco-friendly toilet tissue options, you can subscribe to WGaC or buy a one-off pack to try. Many zero-waste stores also carry this brand in single rolls, meaning you can try before committing to a case.
There has been some grumbling online about the fact that WGaC wraps each roll individually. WGaC does this to keep the rolls moisture-free and hygienic. The company’s argument is that it takes effectively the same amount of paper to wrap six rolls individually in thin paper as it does to wrap all six in a thicker, stronger paper.
This pack includes 48 double length rolls with approximately 400 sheets per 3-ply roll. The sheets are 10 cm by 10 cm and are suitable for most septic tanks.
Seventh Generation Recycled Bath Tissue 2 Ply
Highlights: Two-ply toilet paper made in the US and Canada by a certified B Corporation with FSC 100% recycled content from North America, processed without chlorine. Wrapped in plastic.
Seventh Generation is a certified B Corp offering fully recycled toilet tissue. The paper is fairly soft but not luxury soft and it is quite thin overall. It is fragrance-free and free of dyes and color additives and comprises at least 50% post-consumer content. The paper provides 240 sheets per roll and carries FSC certification.
Seventh Generation makes its products in Wiscconsin and Arizona, USA, and Quebec, Canada, using materials recycled in North America. It is safe for septic systems, RVs, and low-flush toilets.
Seventh Generation tests its paper products for BPA and recently found trace levels due to more sensitive testing methods. Still, this was at the level of parts per billion level, which is unlikely to affect health. Seventh Generation notes that this issue is the same for all recycled paper products. Arguably, Seventh Generation just tests more rigorously and is transparent enough to acknowledge the presence of trace amounts.
Seventh Generation also tests for heavy metals, pesticides, phthalates, PCBs, phenols, PAHs, dioxins, and furans. The testing is based on FDA guidance for calculating potential exposure and California guidance for complying with Proposition 65. Its paper passes a slew of tests and meets the CONEG, Toxics in Packaging Prevention Act.
Unfortunately, Seventh Generation wraps its toilet tissue in plastic.
Bumroll – Bulk Toilet Paper 100% Recycled
Highlights: Fully recycled, chlorine-free, eco-friendly toilet tissue made in the US by a company that donates to a reforestation project.
Septic-safe, RV-safe, unscented, and 100% recycled, Bumroll toilet paper is an excellent eco-friendly, plastic-free choice for bathroom tissue. Bumroll whitens the paper with hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine and each roll boasts 400 two-ply, 4 by 4 inch sheets.
Bumroll makes its toilet tissue in California with inclusive manufacturing jobs. It is BPA-free, fragrance-free, and free of dyes and parabens. It is Rainforest Alliance certified and the company donates 2% of profits to the National Forest Foundation’s “50 Million for our Forests” campaign.
Marcal Toilet Paper 100% Recycled
Highlights: Great value, bulk buy 100% recycled 2-ply toilet tissue made without chlorine bleach, dye, or fragrances.
Marcal doesn’t have as fancy marketing as some other toilet tissue companies, and it’s not super thick, but this 2-ply bathroom tissue gets the job done and is just as eco-friendly. Marcal makes the toilet tissue in the US and it is Green Seal Certified. It comprises 100% recycled paper with 60% post-consumer content, making it more sustainable than paper with a higher ratio of pre-consumer recycled content.
Each roll boasts 336 sheets measuring 4.2 inches by 3.6 inches. The paper is septic-safe, virtually lint-free, and is soft and absorbent with perforations and embossed sheets.
The paper comes in a cost-effective, plastic-free cardboard box of 48 rolls. The rolls are individually paper wrapped for hygiene. This makes Marcal a good option for offices, workspaces, and for guest houses or even camping. Contact the company to request plastic-free delivery though as some third-party retailers may sheathe it in plastic for no good reason.
Marcal has been around since 1932 and is now owned by a larger company based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Marcal began developing wastepaper recycling technology back in the 1950s and is one of the longest standing innovators in the industry.
The bottom line
Sorry, I couldn’t resist one final pun.
Seriously, though, toilet paper is one of those daily use items we tend to overlook during an eco-lifestyle makeover. It’s not hard to make more sustainable choices though, even if you don’t want to install a bidet or bum gun, or switch to zero-waste bathroom wipes just yet.
In short: Choose FSC RECYCLED paper whenever you can, buy in bulk to reduce any plastic packaging, and don’t get bamboozled by greenwashing about bamboo, chlorine, and BPA.