You use it every day and hardly give it a second thought. Yet in the Netherlands, the average person goes through about 100 rolls of toilet paper a year (see how much toilet paper you use per year). Behind every roll is a long chain: a forest or plantation, a paper mill, packaging, a cargo ship and finally the sewer. So how big is the environmental impact of toilet paper, really? And how do you choose eco-friendly toilet paper without giving up comfort?
Why toilet paper is a unique environmental problem
Toilet paper is the ultimate single-use product. It's used for a few seconds and can't be recycled afterward: once it's flushed, the fiber is out of the loop for good. With newspapers or cardboard, a fiber can go around five to seven times, but with toilet paper it's always the last round. That's exactly why, for this product, it matters so much where the fiber comes from and how the paper is made.
The environmental impact of toilet paper, from forest to sewer
1. Trees and forests
Most toilet paper is made from virgin wood pulp. According to a widely cited estimate, about 27,000 trees a day go into toilet paper worldwide. In its report "The Issue with Tissue", the US environmental group NRDC showed that major American brands rely on fiber from Canada's boreal forest, one of the largest carbon stores in the world. In Europe, a lot of pulp comes from Scandinavian forests and eucalyptus plantations in South America. A tree that's been cut down takes decades to grow back.
2. Water and energy
Turning wood into soft tissue paper is an energy- and water-intensive process: chipping the wood, cooking it into pulp, washing, drying and pressing. Recycled paper does better here. According to the Environmental Paper Network's Paper Calculator, as cited by NRDC, tissue made from recycled fibers has about a third of the carbon footprint of tissue made from virgin fibers and needs about half as much water.
3. Bleaching and chemicals
Paper isn't naturally white. To make toilet paper bright white, it gets bleached, usually with chlorine dioxide. That takes extra water, energy and chemicals, and the wastewater has to be treated afterward. White paper is purely cosmetic: it doesn't wipe any better. Read more in unbleached toilet paper and what chemicals are in your toilet paper.
4. Plastic packaging
Most supermarket toilet paper comes wrapped in plastic film, often with an extra layer of film around each pack. That thin film is often collected with plastic waste but is hard to recycle into high-quality material. Plastic-free toilet paper does exist: rolls individually wrapped in paper and delivered in a cardboard box. See how we do it in how Bamboi contributes to plastic reduction.
5. Transport
Toilet paper is light but bulky, so a lot of what gets shipped is air. Interestingly, distance isn't always the biggest issue: sea freight is surprisingly efficient per product, because a container ship carries thousands of containers at once. Read more about that trade-off in where Bamboi is produced. What does help: less frequent deliveries and bigger packs, so each roll needs fewer trips and less packaging.
6. After flushing
Regular toilet paper breaks apart in the sewer and is processed at the wastewater treatment plant. That works fine as long as only toilet paper goes down the drain. Wet wipes often contain plastic fibers and are a much bigger problem; find out why in can you flush wet wipes down the toilet?
Virgin wood, recycled or bamboo: which is the most sustainable toilet paper?
- Virgin wood fiber: the biggest impact. It means cutting down trees that take decades to grow back.
- Recycled paper: a lower carbon footprint and less water. But the fibers are shorter and rougher, the old paper has to be de-inked and often bleached, and residues from ink or receipts can be left behind.
- Bamboo: bamboo is a grass, not a tree. It grows extremely fast, can be harvested within three to five years and grows back on its own from its root system after harvesting, without replanting. To be fair: bamboo is only sustainable if it doesn't come at the expense of natural forest and if its origin can be verified.
Read the full comparison in bamboo vs recycled toilet paper. To learn why bamboo grows back so fast, read what makes bamboo sustainable.
How to choose eco-friendly toilet paper: 6 tips
- Choose a fast-growing or recycled fiber instead of paper made from virgin wood pulp.
- Choose unbleached: no bleaching step means fewer chemicals and less water and energy.
- Choose plastic-free toilet paper: rolls wrapped in paper and a cardboard box instead of plastic film.
- Look for transparency and independent labels: a brand should be able to explain where its fiber comes from and under what conditions it's produced. Independent labels, such as FSC for forest management, the EU Ecolabel for production or B Corp for the company as a whole, can help you here.
- Buy in bulk: fewer delivery trips and less packaging per roll. See toilet paper in bulk packaging.
- Use it mindfully: 4-ply paper uses more fiber per sheet than 3-ply. Find out how to choose in 3-ply toilet paper vs 2-ply and 4-ply.
How eco-friendly is Bamboi?
We won't make it sound better than it is: bamboo toilet paper is a single-use product too. But if you're going to use it every day anyway, your choice makes a difference. Bamboi toilet paper is:
- made from 100% bamboo, unbleached and free of added fragrances, dyes or softeners;
- packed plastic-free: each roll wrapped in paper, delivered in a box made of recycled cardboard;
- available as a MAXI roll: 48 rolls equal about 125 standard rolls, so less packaging and fewer delivery trips;
- delivered climate-neutral.
Bamboi itself is B Corp certified. The production site is BSCI-audited and certified for, among other things, environmental management (ISO 14001) and energy management (ISO 50001).
Frequently asked questions about toilet paper and the environment
Is toilet paper bad for the environment?
Regular toilet paper made from virgin wood pulp has a significant impact: trees are cut down for it, production takes a lot of water and energy, and it's often bleached and wrapped in plastic. With a different fiber, no bleaching step and no plastic, you can shrink that impact considerably.
What is the most eco-friendly toilet paper?
Toilet paper made from a rapidly renewable or recycled fiber, unbleached, without fragrance or lotion and in plastic-free packaging. Bamboo and recycled paper are both better choices than virgin wood pulp; which one suits you best depends on what matters most to you.
Can you recycle toilet paper?
No. Used toilet paper belongs in the toilet, because it's made to break apart in the sewer. If you use it for something else, like soaking up grease, it goes in the trash. The cardboard tube can go in with your paper recycling.
Is recycled toilet paper better for the environment than bamboo?
Recycled paper has a low carbon footprint, but the fibers are shorter, the paper has to be de-inked and chemical residues can remain. Bamboo grows back quickly without replanting and makes a softer sheet. Both are better than paper made from virgin wood fiber.
Conclusion
The environmental impact of toilet paper comes down to the fiber, the bleaching, the packaging and how often it's delivered. You don't have to stop using it, but you can choose smarter: a fast-growing fiber, unbleached, plastic-free and in large packs. Check out the plastic-free bamboo toilet paper from Bamboi®.
