It’s time to talk toilet paper (and paper towels, facial tissues, etc). In NRDC’s latest Issue with Tissue report, our experts awarded sustainability grades to dozens of U.S. tissue paper brands. Disappointingly, many of the most popular household brands failed our test—and the planet—once again by continuing to purchase fiber from trees logged in one of the world’s greatest forests, the Canadian boreal.

Between 1996 and 2015, loggers clearcut 28 million acres of the boreal forest, in part to satisfy high U.S. demand for tissue products. This clearcutting releases massive stores of carbon locked in the boreal’s trees, soils, and peatlands. In addition to robbing the planet of a powerful defense against climate change, logging in the boreal also destroys and degrades wildlife habitat and threatens the lands and ways of life of the region's Indigenous Peoples.

The good news is that consumers are uniquely positioned to help. We can help restore the boreal’s health, protect the climate, and stand alongside the communities who call the forest home. Here’s how to start.

Stick to the high-scoring brands

Whenever possible, stick to brands that earned As and Bs. Critically, these brands have minimal impacts on forests. The highest-scoring A+ products are made entirely of recycled material, use a chlorine-free bleaching process, and also have the largest percentage of postconsumer recycled paper, which diverts waste from the landfill and promotes a more circular economy. Other high rankers rely on alternative fibers like bamboo.

Avoid the worst culprits

Brands that received a D or an F rely entirely (or almost entirely) on forest fiber for their products. Unfortunately, this list includes a number of flagship household tissue brands from the “Big Three” U.S. tissue producers: Georgia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark, and Procter & Gamble. These and other failing tissue products have three times the carbon footprint of those made from recycled paper, and many use dangerous bleaching processes.

Reduce your overall use of tissue paper

Aside from making better brand choices, you can also work to reduce your overall consumption of tissue paper products.

• In the kitchen: Use rags instead of paper towels.
• Around the house: Replace paper napkins with cloth versions and one-and-done facial tissues with handkerchiefs and washcloths, which you can wash and reuse.
• In the bathroom: Consider buying a bidet or bidet toilet seat attachment, which not only saves paper but also requires less water per use than the tissue-making process.

Speak up and demand accountability

Your voice can help push for big picture change.

• Share the latest Issue with Tissue scorecard with friends and family.
• Ask your local store’s manager to stock sustainable options and then shop accordingly.
• Sign this petition to #SavetheBoreal. A longtime wildlife advocate and Ontario native, The Bachelorette star Blake Moynes is working alongside the David Suzuki Foundation and NRDC to highlight the dire issue of unsustainable tissue paper production. Join Blake in urging Procter & Gamble to stop flushing the boreal forest down the toilet.

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