Wiped out: America's love of luxury toilet paper is destroying Canadian forests

[Judi Lynn]

Major brands’ refusal to use sustainable materials is having a devastating impact on forests and climate, new report says

Sam Wolfson
Fri 1 Mar 2019 10.56 EST Last modified on Fri 1 Mar 2019 12.34 EST

. . .

But America’s heavy use of toilet paper – particularly the pillowy soft kind – is worsening climate change and taking “a dramatic and irreversible toll” on forests, especially the Canadian boreal forest, according to a new report by two major environmental groups, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Stand.earth.

The boreal forest covers almost 60% of Canada and is home to 600 indigenous communities. Its huge size means it can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the equivalent to the annual emissions of 24m cars each year.

The report found that major brands’ refusal to switch to sustainable materials in toilet paper is having a devastating impact on forests and climate. About 28m acres of Canadian boreal forest is cut down each year, an area the size of Pennsylvania. Virgin pulp, the key ingredient in toilet paper, accounted for 23% of Canada’s forest product exports.

Americans are particularly to blame for this crisis. They make up just over 4% of the world’s population, yet account for more than 20% of global tissue consumption. The average four-person household in the US uses over 100lb of toilet paper a year.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/canada-boreal-forest-toilet-paper-us-climate-change-impact-report

[progree]

1. 2.6 days per roll. 2.7 rolls per week, 11.8 rolls/month

From Fortune Magazine -- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/average-american-uses-3-rolls-124011626.html

The U.S. consumes more toilet paper than any other country, almost three rolls per person each week. And the brands they choose to use aren’t sustainable, with hardwood trees being pulped to create the soft toilet paper consumers want. Following the United States’ annual use of 141 rolls of toilet paper per capita is Germany with 134 rolls and the United Kingdom with 127. Japanese consumers average 91 rolls annually, while the Chinese average just 49.

In the report’s sustainability rankings, eco-friendly brands such as Seventh Generation and basic options from Whole Foods and Trader Joes earned an A.

But Cottonelle, Scott, Charmin, Ultra Soft, Angel Soft and Quilted Northern earned grades of D or F. Paper towel brands Viva, Brawny and Bounty also got grades of D or F.

The U.S. number (141 rolls per year) comes to 2.6 days per roll. 2.7 rolls per week, 11.8 rolls/month.

[juxtaposed]

2. how does costco brand fare?

[DavidDvorkin]

18. Not well, unfortunately

It suffers from the dreaded poke through.

[msongs]

3. millions of dead trees from bark beetles. maybe they have a use after all nt

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Switch to Scott. Lasts at least as twice as long.

About twenty years ago someone pushed me to Scott, and I've been with that brand ever since. Last week in Target in the toilet paper aisle, I saw a man clearly dithering over what to buy. So I recommended the Scott. Hope he finds it as good as I do.

[defacto7]

11. I'd say 3 or 4 times as long in some cases.

But it seems to be on the D to F grade list for some reason.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. Some people claim it's too rough for their delicate private parts.

I certainly haven't found that to be true.

Oh, and that awful ad for some brand of tissue that shows a baby bear with toilet paper all over his butt? I wonder exactly where people think they need to wipe.

[defacto7]

14. The tp promotion department needs to wipe between their ears.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

5. Maybe if Americans were less prudish about bidets this wouldn't be a problem

ETA: by “prudish” I mean remembering a trip to Europe put on by my conservative Christian school and the chaperones worrying if bidets would lead to kids pleasuring themselves. Can’t have that, ya know! And sometimes I wonder if this is the same reason bidet use has never take off here.

Anyway, you can put a bidet attachment on your American toilet for as little as $30. Just look up “bidet retrofit” on your search engine of choice. All the toilets in the house I’m building will have them.

[samnsara]

7. you still have to dry off after a bidet....

...as it spouts water all over your bum...

[defacto7]

13. Well, not so much. It's a good trade off.

Towels work if water droplets are a bother.

[Duppers]

17. Great idea!

We're about to begin construction on a new home and now would like to incorporate your idea. You're using the retrofit ones in your new home?

Thanks!!

[NNadir]

19. Toto makes a toilet with a built in bidet as well as air drying.

I learned about it in a wonderful little book called THE BIG NECESSITY: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters

It's a wonderful examination of this issue, with deep insight and respect for engineering of sewer systems (and the problems paper causes in them), albeit written by a non-engineer.

About two billion people on this planet lack basic sanitation, and it represents a huge cost in terms of human disease and suffering.

I agree with you entirely. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a bidet or similar approach, a point Ms George makes in her book.

I think somehow it should be required reading in high schools, but as a culture we have a very squeamish and silly resistance to discussing basic truths.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

6. This does not mention the down-stream environmental effects.

Like almost all products we use, paper goods involve production, transportation and disposal costs to our environment.

Pollution from paper mills, trucks and trains that transports it and the environmental costs from sewage treatment are some of the many additional things that affect our health and planet.

It's also a shame is that this virgin pulp fiber will never be recycled.

[samnsara]

8. we need hemp tp

[Delmette2.0]

9. +1

[2naSalit]

10. +1

Especially if it doesn't disintegrate upon contact with the remnants clinging to my body parts!

[OKIsItJustMe]

15. The NRDC Report (Includes brand ratings)

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/issue-tissue-how-americans-are-flushing-forests-down-toilet-report.pdf

[defacto7]

16. Back in the olden days we didn't have no frickin toilet paper

we had a pile of used corn cobs, and I didn't complain!