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We're going to keep today's Eco-Logical fairly short because the issue is so easy to define and the solutions are so obvious.
With all the waste paper in the world that can be recycled and all the acres/hectares of forest land that are now used to grow trees for pulp mills, is there any reason for us to cut down giant swaths of old-growth forest to make toilet paper, facial tissues, and other single-use paper products?
The answer is easy... No! We should not cut down ANY old-growth trees to make toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels, and paper napkins—our most disposable paper products. But there are a few questions you might be wondering about regarding this subject, including which products one should buy or not buy to avoid participating in the unnecessary destruction of ancient trees.
The Q&A session will be coming right up. But first a pictorial quiz: Can you find the person in the middle of the arboreal devastation below?
SOURCE: ForestEthics
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There's more than one offender in the crime of laying waste to the planet's old growth forests for inappropriate purposes, but one the biggest is Kimberly-Clark, the largest tissue-products company in the world, with sales in 150 countries. Some of the Kimberly-Clark brands of disposable paper products you're likely to see on supermarket shelves are Kleenex Facial Tissues, Scott Toilet Paper and Paper Towels, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, and Viva Paper Towels. The company also sells toilet paper and tissues to large institutions like universities, high schools, governments, and businesses. In North America, only about 1/5 of the pulp that Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue products comes from recycled sources, and most of that goes into the products that go to large institutions, not consumers.
In 2004, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council set their sights on Kimberly-Clark's practice of sacrificing virgin forests at the Altar of Blowing and Wiping, particularly as the practice applies to Canada's ancient Boreal forests. The goal of their "Kleercut" campaign is to get consumers involved in pressuring Kimberly-Clark to stop this unnecessary, wasteful practice.
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WHAT ARE ANCIENT FORESTS? |
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Ancient forests are the planet's old-growth and original forests. The world's ancient forests maintain environmental systems that are essential for life on Earth. They influence weather by controlling rainfall and evaporation of water from soil. They help stabilize the world's climate by storing large amounts of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. These forests also are home to around two-thirds of the world's land-based species of plants and animals. They are also home to millions of forest-based communities and people who depend on them for their survival — economically and spiritually.
According to the World Resources Institute, almost 80% of the world's original forests have been degraded or completely destroyed. Much of the loss of ancient forests is due to human industrial uses such as logging for wood and paper products; clearing for agricultural land; and oil, gas, and hydroelectric development. Canada's Boreal forest represents 25% of the world's remaining ancient forests.
SOURCE: kleercut.net
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With the astounding amount of recyclable paper produced by today's not-so-paperless society, there's no reason that 100% of our needs for toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels and napkins can't be taken care of by using recycled paper.
Now, just in case your germ-a-phobic subconscious is wondering whether recycled paper is really clean enough to be used in paper products destined for such personal purposes, yes it is. The process that takes recycled-paper pulp and turns it into soft, perfect little pieces of napkin, paper towel, toilet paper, or facial tissue also ensures that the products are sanitary.
So, what brands can you buy with a clear conscience? The table below lists the top "green" brands and provides statistics on their use of recycled paper and what portion of the recycled paper is post-consumer content (PCC)—i.e. what portion of the recycled paper comes from people's recycle bins. It's also worth noting that the top four brands we list are all free of chlorine bleach, which is another environmental problem.
For each type of product a company carries, we list two numbers: the first is the total amount of recycled paper used in the product; the second is the percentage PCC. "N/A" means the company does not make the product. Higher numbers are better. In cases were we could not obtain or verify information, "???" is used.
MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BRANDS OF
TOILET PAPER, FACIAL TISSUES, PAPER TOWELS AND NAPKINS
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First percentage is total recycled content;
Second number is percentage PCC. |
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Seventh
Generation |
100% / 80% |
100% / 20% |
100% / 90% |
100% / 80% |
| Planet |
100% / 80% |
N/A |
100% / 80% |
N/A |
| Green Forest |
100% / 40% min |
100% / 40% min |
100% / 40% min |
100% / 40% m. |
| Marcal |
100% / 20-60% |
100% / 10-40% |
100% / 40-60% |
100% / 30-60% |
| Natural Value |
100% / 35% |
N/A |
100% / 35% |
100% / 35% |
| Earth Friendly |
100% / 10-25% |
N/A |
100% / 10-25% |
N/A |
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| Whole Foods 365 Brand |
??? |
??? |
??? |
100% / 80% |
| Fiesta / Atlantic |
??? |
??? |
100% / 80% |
??? |
| CVS |
100% / 60% |
??? |
??? |
??? |
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- Capri
- Cascades
- Decor
- Doucelle
- New Horizon
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- North River
- Perkins
- Pert
- SofPac
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Printer friendly versions of this table are available:
PDF format | Excel format
So, stick with the products listed in the top green section above and you can wash (and dry) your hands of the plunderers who are cutting down the planet's treasures for no good reason. Here are a few other things on the subject:
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