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Is toilet paper biodegradable? For most popular brands the answer is “no” and they contribute to cutting down 1 million acres of forests. But, these sustainable brands are NRDC-approved.
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When looking for ways to be sustainable, sometimes it’s all about swapping out one item for its recycled, biodegradable, sustainably-made counterpart. Swapping out this one everyday product for its recycled counterpart can save more than 1 million acres of the climate-critical Canadian boreal forest. Each year, the Canadian boreal, the largest intact forest left in the world, is clear-cut each year– in part to make the ultimate disposable, single-use item: toilet paper.
How To Choose The Right Toothpaste & Oral Care To Reduce Your Impact
Toilet paper made with recycled content has 1/3 of the carbon footprint of toilet paper made from trees. Stocking your bathroom with a sustainable toilet paper brand can protect and preserve one of the largest and most ecologically important intact forests in the world. To help consumers choose sustainable at-home tissue products, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released this year’s buyers guide ranking( from A+ to F) the sustainable aspects of popular brands.
What Is The Boreal Forest?
Starting just below the Arctic Circle, boreal forests span nearly the entire Northern Hemisphere, ringing the globe in a green crown from Siberia to Canada. These forests also store 30 to 40% of the earth’s land-based carbon, making the boreal critical to the fight against climate change.
The Canadian boreal, which stretches from Newfoundland to northeastern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, is the largest intact forest left in the world. It’s home to black bears, salmon, wild caribou, and a host of wildlife. Its trees, soils, and peatlands store twice as much carbon as the world’s oil reserves, and nearly twice as much per acre as tropical forests.
While Indigenous Nations who call the Boreal Forest home have won recent legal battles to push back against loggers and remain stewards of the land, the forests are still under threat from exploitation from oil, gas, and mining industries. Each year, industrial logging operations clearcut approximately one million acres of intact forest, equivalent to five NHL hockey rink–size areas every minute.
Sustainable Brands To Choose
The NRDC scores brands based on several factors: the percentage of recycled content, sustainable sourcing from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and the use of more sustainable materials such as bamboo.
It’s no surprise that brands offering bleached fluffy toilet paper have the lowest rankings. What is surprising is that time and time again, these brands continue to fail NRDC’s guide. Take for instance, Procter & Gamble (P&G), whose website states ‘P&G’s ambition is to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our supply chain and operations – from raw material to retailer – by 2040. Yet, for 6 years in a row, they failed NRDC’s toilet paper sustainability test, scoring “Fs” on the report and scorecard, for its Charmin brand. Other brands earning an “F” include Quilted Northern, Kirkland, and Angel Soft.
Meanwhile, competitors are now embracing forest and climate solutions: Georgia-Pacific, which began selling 100% recycled content toilet paper, and Kimberly-Clark, which set new sustainability standards, earned passing grades on the IWT scorecard for the first time. Other noteworthy brands earning an “A” rating include:
- Seventh Generation
- Trader Joe’s
- Green Forest
Coming in close with B marks are:
Choosing to make the switch to sustainable brands is one way to protect our forests and the future of our planet. Another way is to let brands know your concerns. Write to them. Sign a petition. And stay informed about ways we can all confront the climate crisis.