NRDC: A Shopper's Guide to Home Tissue Products

According to the NRDC, forests are being destroyed to make toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels and other disposable paper products. You can help stop this destruction by pressing manufacturers to use recycled content and clean manufacturing processes (click here to send a message to paper giant Kimberly-Clark), and by making smart shopping decisions.
This guide will help you choose products. You can use it three ways:

1. Read it Online (scroll down)
   
2. Print it (pdf)
   
3. Get detailed product info

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Facial Tissue | Toilet Paper | Paper Towels | Napkins | Tips

Facial Tissue If every household in the United States replaced just one box of virgin fiber facial tissues (175 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 163,000 trees. SEE THE FULL LIST
365 (Whole Foods)		100	80	PCF
Fluff Out		100	40	PCF
Green Forest		100	90	PCF
Hankies		100	40	PCF
Marcal		100	40	PCF
Natural Value		100	80	PCF
Seventh Generation		100	80	PCF
Small Steps		100	30	PCF
Kleenex		0	0	ECF
Puffs		0	0	ECF

Toilet Paper If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 423,900 trees. SEE THE FULL LIST
365 (Whole Foods)		100	>80	PCF
Ambiance		100	80	PCF
April Soft		100	80	PCF
Best Value		100	<40	PCF
CVS Earth Essentials		100	60	PCF
Earth First		100	<80	PCF
Earth Friendly		100	80	PCF
Fiesta		100	80	PCF
Green Forest		100	90	PCF
Marcal		100	40	PCF
Natural Value		100	80	PCF
Natures Choice		100	<40	PCF
Pert		100	<40	PCF
Seventh Generation		100	80	PCF
Small Steps		100	30	PCF
Sofpac		100	40	PCF
Trader Joe's		100	80	PCF
Charmin		0	0	ECF
Cottonelle		0	0	ECF

Paper Towels If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees. SEE THE FULL LIST
365 (Whole Foods)		100	>80	PCF
Atlantic		100	80	PCF
Best Value		100	<40	PCF
CVS Earth Essentials		100	60	PCF
Earth First		100	<80	PCF
Earth Friendly		100	80	PCF
Fiesta		100	80	PCF
Green Forest		100	90	PCF
Marcal		100	>60	PCF
Natural Value		100	80	PCF
Natures Choice		100	<40	PCF
Pert		100	<40	PCF
Seventh Generation		100	80	PCF
Small Steps		100	70	PCF
Trader Joe's		100	80	PCF
Bounty		0	0	ECF
Viva		0	0	ECF

Napkins If every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins (250 count) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees. SEE THE FULL LIST
365 (Whole Foods)		100	>80	PCF
Bella		100	40	PCF
CVS Earth Essentials		100	60	PCF
Earth First		100	<80	PCF
Green Forest		100	90	PCF
Marcal		100	>60	PCF
Natural Value		100	80	PCF
Seventh Generation		100	80	PCF
Small Steps		100	70	PCF
Bounty		0	0	ECF
Kleenex		0	0	ECF

Tips: Three Things You Can Do To Help Save Forests

1. Buy paper products with recycled content -- especially post-consumer fibers. Look for products that have a high recycled content, including high post-consumer content. Post-consumer fibers are recovered from paper that was previously used by consumers and would otherwise have been dumped into a landfill or an incinerator. 2. Buy paper products made with clean, safe processes. Paper products are bleached to make them whiter and brighter, but chlorine used in many bleaching processes contributes to the formation of harmful chemicals that wind up in our air and water and are highly toxic to people and fish. Look for products labeled totally chlorine-free (TCF) or processed chlorine-free (PCF). In some cases, elemental chlorine-free (ECF) may be acceptable. 3. Tell tissue manufacturers to stop using virgin wood for throwaway products. If a brand you buy for your home doesn't have any recycled content, contact the manufacturer (click here to send a message to paper giant Kimberly-Clark). Tell the company to use more recycled fibers, to avoid sourcing from ecologically valuable forests such as those in the Cumberland Plateau and Canadian boreal, and to ensure any virgin fibers used are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Saving forests also helps reduce global warming pollution.

Note: NRDC provides this assessment of the environmental characteristics of tissue paper products to help consumers make informed choices. NRDC does not endorse any products.