PAPer talk

Basic tenets of the report:

• Americans, who make up just over 4 percent of the world’s population, account for about 20 percent of global tissue consumption. The United States consumes more toilet paper than any other country, using a whopping 9.2 billion pounds of it each year—about 28 pounds per person.
• Due to marketing, we (Americans) also have an obsession with soft toilet paper.
• The softest, most popular brands of toilet paper are made from virgin (not recycled) softwood pulp. The three largest brands - Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clarke and Georgia Pacific are sourcing this from old growth forests in Canada.

So what is wrong with this?

Those old growth forests in Canada - known as the boreal forest - are some of best carbon stores on earth. Every year, the Canadian boreal removes carbon dioxide equivalent to the annual emissions of 24 million passenger vehicles.

Obviously the logging of old growth is not just for toilet paper, much of it is for lumber as well. And in those circumstances (for durability & strength) it makes much more sense to use. But for disposable paper products, I think we can make better choices that will hopefully help shift the market.

When I first looked into this issue, I read summaries of the Issue with Tissue on several different news outlets, like Vice and PRI. I then wondered how true the "deforestation" issue actually is. The problem with this is, that if you look up "deforestation of Canada's boreal forest" is that it means something entirely different from the "degradation" of a forest. You can easily find tons of information talking about how little of Canada's forest has been touched by deforestation and how great that is. BUT in reading the full report I learned that the difference between the two words is what is most important:

Deforestation vs. Degradation

"Deforestation refers to the conversion of a forested area into something else—such as farmland or roads. This means that even if a forest has been clearcut, as long as it is not converted to some other use, deforestation has not occurred. Forest degradation, on the other hand, much more accurately accounts for the impacts of logging, as it covers any human activity that diminishes the health of a forest. Although the Canadian government often fails to mention forest degradation statistics, its consequences, including carbon emissions, species loss, and water pollution, can be just as severe as those of deforestation."

So, what can I do?

Buy recycled, unbleached or sustainably sourced paper products. Recycled + unbleached is always the best option, but not always the easiest or most available one. The NRDC created these charts to help consumers:

How are these grades determined?

There are several contributing factors to these grades (and can be helpful to you as you search for products not listed above):

• Total % recycled - Ideally you want 100%
• % post-consumer recycled - you want this number to be higher because although pre-consumer recycled content, also known as “manufacturing waste,” helps alleviate pressure on forests, it provides fewer benefits in terms of conserving resources or reducing waste.
• Bleaching process - There are 3 options here. The best being TCF (totally chlorine free), the next best being PCF (processed chlorine free) and the most common being ECF (elemental chlorine free).
• Certifications - FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is considered the most creditable certification. With FSC-MIX (meaning only a percentage of their virgin fibers are sustainably sourced) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) falling behind. (SFI is a weaker certification that is industry led).

What if the Grade A options aren't available?

If you're like me, you probably shop at the best priced and located grocery store in your area. In my case, that's Smith's (owned by Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in North America). At Smiths I can find Seventh Generation recycled toilet paper (grade A - yay). I know recycled TP isn't for everyone, but Seventh Generation has rated high for softness (in consumer studies) and is generally better for your skin (since less harsh chemicals are used in it's processing).

If you need soft TP try some alternatives that are sustainably sourced like Silk n'Soft Bamboo, Caboo or the new kid on the block - Khi Luxury (made from eucalyptus fibers and comes in plastic free containers).

For paper towels the best in-store option (which is also the least expensive) is Kroger brand paper towels with an FSC certification. And for tissues almost every brand is just FSC-MIX certified. If you're able to shop at Whole Foods or Sprouts, they will definitely have other options, otherwise you have to order online.

The good news is that most companies have sustainability initiatives that they're working towards and switching your TP to recycled will make the bigger impact.

Here are a few other things you can do (at home) that will not only help reduce your impact but save you $$$:

• Use cloth napkins for meals (we reuse the same ones all week, but maybe we're gross...)
• Use washable rags for most clean-ups
• Keep your paper towels out of sight and keep your rags easy to reach
• Get a bidet! No seriously, they are awesome. For some reason Americans are against the bidet, there are numerous articles pondering why (see this Atlantic write-up for one). But in my humble opinion (and many others of the internet variety -Refinery29, Healthline & Mental Floss) they are better. Why do we smash our poop against ourselves with toilet paper when we could be rinsing it off with water and then dabbing ourselves dry? Seems like a no brainer to me. Not only do you feel cleaner, but you will use less toilet paper. This one was very easy to add onto our regular toilet: Luxe Bidet Neo 185