What Toilet Paper Brands Are Best for Your Wallet and the Environment?

Consumer Alert: Discovering the Best Toilet Paper Brands for Ecology and Economy

An In-Depth Look at the Environmental Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Toilet Paper Brands

In today’s consumer-centric world, one staple product unites households across races, classes, and cultures – toilet paper. However, acquiring a deeper understanding of the origins of toilet paper may reshape your purchasing decisions.

When it comes to choosing toilet paper, most buyers consider two criteria – cost and comfort. Consequently, the cheapest option often becomes the preferred choice. For instance, Kirkland Signature, Costco’s affordable store brand, holds popular appeal and even trumps the prices of competitors such as Walmart’s Great Value.

Yet, the toilet paper we frequently reach for, including the aforementioned brands, largely originates from Canada’s Boreal Forest. Disturbingly, large corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Georgia-Pacific engage in the clear-cutting of vast forest lands, solely to fulfill our one-time use and flush requirements, as revealed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a non-profit environmental advocacy organization.

Seeking to identify the environmental impact of various toilet paper brands, the NRDC has assigned grades ranging from A to F to dozens of renowned manufacturers. Shockingly, brands including Charmin, Angel Soft, Cottonelle, Kirkland Signature, and Great Value, popular choices among consumers, received the lowest grade possible, an F. In order to understand the criteria for an impeccable score, we reached out to Ashley Jordan from the NRDC.

NRDC’s Highest Rating – A and A+

“Our top-rated A and A+ brands exclusively comprise those manufactured entirely from recycled content,” revealed Jordan, emphasizing the importance of recycled materials. “Recycled content emits only one third of the carbon emissions and utilizes half of the water consumption compared to traditional forest fiber alternatives.”

Among all the brands scrutinized, only nine received an A grade, while a mere four selected brands achieved an A+. These exceptional brands include:

• 365 by Whole Foods Market – 100% recycled content
• Green Forest
• Natural Value
• Trader Joe’s

To weigh the impact of environmentally friendly brands against tree fiber-based alternatives, we also considered the prices, focusing specifically on the cost per sheet. Comparisons unveiled comparable prices to “luxury” toilet paper brands such as Charmin, but proved more costly than my personal budget-friendly recommendations, Great Value and Kirkland Signature. Specifically, the cost per sheet for 365 Whole Foods 100% Recycled, the cheapest environmentally friendly brand receiving an A+, amounts to 0.3 cents, whereas Kirkland Signature costs a mere 0.2 cents. Ashley Jordan ensures consumers of the comparable softness provided by most tree fiber-based brands, leaving the final verdict within your discerning hands.