The Next Frontier for Your Carbon Footprint: Toilet Paper

Toilet paper, a product used for a few seconds before being disposed of forever, is typically made with trees, energy-intensive manufacturing processes, and chemicals that can pollute the environment. Experts say more consumers are seeking toilet paper made from recycled content or sustainable materials, but as the AP reports, it can be hard to know what to look for. Sustainable toilet paper often costs more, but can have significant environmental benefits. According to the Environmental Paper Network, a coalition of nonprofits, more than 1 billion gallons of water and 1.6 million trees could be saved if every American used one roll of toilet paper made from recycled content instead of a roll made from forest fibers. Some recommendations for reducing your TP-print:

• Toilet paper from recycled fibers: North American toilet paper has traditionally been made of fibers from trees in Canada and eucalyptus plantations in Brazil. Pulp from the trees is bleached to create a bright white color, but the chlorine that's often used can hurt the environment. Large amounts of electricity and heat are used to remove moisture and form square sheets. Increasingly, manufacturers are making toilet paper from recycled paper products, which avoids material from freshly cut trees, and are using chlorine-free bleaching techniques.
• Evaluating sustainability claims: A life cycle assessment calculates the environmental impacts from when a tree is a seedling to when its fibers are converted into toilet paper. Some companies add those labels to packaging to show that their processes have been vetted. The Natural Resources Defense Council also publishes an annual report that grades toilet papers from A+ to F. Aria, Green Forest, Natural Value, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods 365 100% Recycled received the highest letter grade in 2025.

• Bamboo: Alternative materials such as fast-growing bamboo are often billed as more sustainable than trees, but consumers should focus on toilet paper made with recycled materials instead, said Ronalds Gonzalez, an associate professor at North Carolina State University. Pollution from manufacturing processes can reduce the benefits of using bamboo.
• Bidets: Bidets allow people to rinse after using the bathroom so they can reduce or avoid wiping. Bidets are a sustainable alternative to conventional toilet paper because "you're not using any sort of logging, it's water that's already coming to your household and it's very little water," says Kory Russel, assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Oregon.