Earth-conscious shopping isn't for everyone. Especially when the thought of giving up our fluffy Charmin for recycled bath tissue makes some of us cringe.
But is recycled bath tissue really all that horrible? The answer is no, not anymore.
As I moved my family toward an earth-conscious lifestyle, I kept wondering how difficult it would be to switch to all recycled paper products. That meant bath tissue, facial tissue, napkins, and paper towels. Would the recycled bath tissue be too scratchy? Would the recycled paper towels fall apart at the mere sight of a spill?
To investigate, I contacted the top three recycled paper manufacturers on the market today: Marcal, Seventh Generation, and Green Forest. Although I never heard back from a Seventh Generation representative, the folks at Marcal and Green Forest were a joy to deal with. Friendly, helpful, and very proud of their products, which is always a great sign. Marcal and Green Forest sent samples for our staff to try, whereas I bought the Seventh Generation samples at Kroger. (Price comparisons below.)
I decided to put these top three brands to the test in both the bath tissue and paper towel categories.
First up were these Green Forest products:
- Double Roll Premium Bathroom Tissue, 2-Ply, 352 sheets/roll
- Size Your Own® Premium Paper Towels, 2-Ply, White, 104 sheets/roll
The pros: Green Forest bath tissue and paper towels are 100% recycled, and they use a minimum of 90% post-consumer recycled content (paper that has already been used in homes and offices, rather than pre-consumer material which consists of scraps, trimmings, and other by-products that were never used in the consumer market.) The Size Your Own® feature for the paper towels allows you to tear off a smaller sheet for smaller jobs.
The price: We found prices ranging from $0.51 - $0.78 cents/roll for the bath tissue and $1.62/roll for paper towels on Amazon.com. That's cheaper than Charmin and Bounty.
The verdict: Green Forest bath tissue is strong without being scratchy. It's not pillow-soft, but it's not as rough as commercial bath tissue either (the kind you find in mall restrooms, for example). It gets the job done, and there were no complaints from our testers. However, because recycled bath tissue isn't as absorbent as the softer brands at your local store, our testers found they went through the Green Forest rolls faster than they would a non-recycled brand.
While our testers liked the Size Your Own® feature, they weren't impressed with the absorbency of the paper towels. Liquids either quickly saturated the towels (like spray cleaners) or dripped off the towels without being absorbed at all (like bacon grease). They all agreed that improvements in the absorbency would help convince them to make the switch.
Next was Marcal:
- 100% Premium Recycled 2-Ply Embossed Toilet Tissue, 336 sheets/roll
- 100% Premium Recycled Roll Towels, 60 Sheets/Roll
The pros: Marcal paper products are made from 100% premium recycled paper (60% post-consumer). They are hypoallergenic, virtually lint free, free of dyes and fragrances, and manufactured without chlorine bleaching. The inner cores are made from recycled paper as well, and the paper packaging can also be recycled.
The price: We found prices of $0.72 cents/roll for the bath tissue and $1.15/roll for the paper towels on Amazon.com. Again, cheaper than Charmin and Bounty.
The verdict: Our testers found Marcal's recycled bath tissue to be similar to Green Forest's. Again, it isn't Charmin soft, but it's not unpleasant either. If you work in a commercial environment, it's likely to be a bit softer than the bath tissue you use at work. After about a month of use, our testers never once begged to have their soft bath tissue back. One tester commented that it's a matter of principles -- using recycled paper was more important to her than having the softest tissue on the market.
As for the paper towels, again, the results were similar to Green Forest's. Our testers weren't used to the decrease in absorbency. They went through many more towels to wipe up a spill than they would have if using a regular brand like Bounty.
And finally Seventh Generation:
- Seventh Generation Bathroom Tissue, 2-Ply Sheets, 352-Sheet Rolls
- Seventh Generation Paper Towels, Natural, 2-Ply Sheets, 120-sheet Rolls
- Seventh Generation White Paper Towels, 2-ply, 140-sheet Rolls
The pros: 100% recycled paper, minimum 50% post-consumer content. Whitened without chemicals containing chlorine. No added dyes and fragrances.
The price: We found a price of $1.04/roll for the bath tissue, and $1.85-$2.22/roll for the paper towels on Amazon.com. That's more expensive than Charmin and Bounty.
The verdict: Our testers found the bath tissue to be on par with Marcal and Green Forest. The rolls lasted about the same time, and they are all three similar in texture and feel.
The white paper towels also performed similar to Marcal and Green Forest. Even though Seventh Generation claims their white paper towels are 20% more absorbent on their website (to their own previous towels, I imagine), they seemed to have the same lack of absorbency as the competition. Again, our testers weren't sure they were absorbent enough to make the permanent switch.
However, the natural paper towels were a hit among our testers. The absorbency beat out all the other white paper towels, and they were tough enough for heavy spills. Bacon grease wiped up in a snap, and they worked really well with everyday spray cleaners.
Overall Thoughts
Personally, I have made the permanent switch to the Seventh Generation Natural Paper Towels, and I love them. I don't miss my name brand paper towels one bit. We've also made the switch to Marcal and Green Forest Bath Tissue (which are more cost effective than Seventh Generation), and we're very satisfied. Whichever of the two brands has a better sale on Amazon, that's the one we stock up on at the time. We like them both equally.
After several months of being a 100% recycled paper household, we've had zero complaints. Our guests don't even notice the difference. And since our family isn't contributing to deforestation, our conscience is clearer than ever.
Just that little bit of change for the greater good can make for a happier household. I would encourage everyone to try recycled paper products at least once. You may not be missing out after all!
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