The Real Movers and Shakers

 

Although it seems as if it is impossible for the tissue product to become environmentally friendly, baby steps have been made. There is a growing green tissue product trend, which originally started from small companies in niche markets. These companies have really been driving the movement to bring tissue products into a greener and more sustainable way of production.

 

Some of the methods these companies use defy our take on tradition tissue products. For example, a smaller company called Method Products makes tissue paper out of bamboo. Imagine wiping your nose with tissues made from bamboo, and not even noticing it! In April 2012, Cascade Tissue Group launched Cascade Moka. Cascade Moka is unbleached, made from 100% recycled fibers, and determined to make a statement. By eliminating chemical whiteners, the tissue is beige in color. When was the last time you used toilet paper that wasn’t white? Would you be hesitant? According to Cascade Tissue Group’s Away-From-Home Division, the biggest adopters and purchasers of this beige toilet paper have been hotels and lodges; the reactions have been massively positive.

 

Straying away from the traditional white paper tissue model isn’t the only way to be environmentally friendly. Other companies are making tissue paper out of 100% recycled fibers. A tissue manufacturer called Green Bay Converting Inc makes dye, fragrance, and chlorine free paper towels out of 100% recycled fibers. To take it a step further, the packaging is also made from 100% recycled material. Marcal Paper Mills Inc, is arguably the originator of the 100% recycled tissue paper trend. It is the oldest recycled paper manufacturer in the country, and has been producing tissue paper out of recycled fibers for decades. It is also the largest exclusively green-focused tissue company in the market, and held a market share of about 0.3% in 2012.

 

But Wait…

 

With all these great new companies with innovative green tissue paper, why haven’t we seen these products in supermarkets? When was the last time you went to your local Walmart and saw Marcal or Cascade Moka on sale, or even in the store at all? The biggest hindrance to the green tissue trend, especially for Americans, is our quest for softness. It is simply easier to make soft tissue paper from virgin fibers, than it is from recycled fibers. Since companies are trying to make the softest tissue product possible, virgin fibers are continually favored over recycled fibers. This is a step backwards for the green tissue paper trend.

 

Certainly amongst consumers, there is a notion that tissue paper from recycled fibers is rougher and lower in quality than tissue paper made of virgin fibers. This stops major manufacturers from adopting this green trend for fear of losing sales. In her interview with the New York Times in 2010, Lisa H. Jester, a Procter & Gamble spokeswoman wrote, “Our consumers count on Charmin for its softness, absorbency and strength….We do not use recycled fiber in our tissue, as the process of recycling can break and damage the fibers, which could lead to less strength, absorbency and softness.” Thus, the reason why retailers are not flocking to stock their shelves with eco-friendly tissue paper is because of our own demands. Are we willing to give up our love for virgin fibers and end our flirtation with unsustainable tissue manufacturers? Better yet, are we willing to change our opinion of tissue paper made from recycled material?

 

Gaining Momentum

 

Until recently, major tissue manufacturers have largely focused on environmentally friendly manufacturing methods like reducing waste and carbon footprints. Very little has been done by large tissue manufacturers to actually create an eco-friendly tissue product. Knowing that consumers prefer a softer and whiter tissue product, and the notion that recycled tissue paper is not as soft, releasing a product made from recycled material would be a risk. No major tissue manufacturer has wanted to take that risk. That is until recently.

 

In 2009, the green trend in tissue paper took a great step forward. Kimberly Clark launched an environmentally friendly line called Scott Naturals. In the Scott Naturals line, toilet paper contained 40% recycle fibers, towels contained 60% recycled fibers, and napkins contained 80% recycled fibers. To keep the softness that consumers love so much, wipes were infused with aloe vera. Thus, dispelling the notion that recycled tissue paper is lacking in quality or softness. Also, Scott Naturals was priced as much as competing virgin fiber wipes and tissue paper. In 2010, Scott Naturals also introduced tube-free toilet paper. Kimberly Clark going green has been a mark of big success in the field of eco-friendly tissue paper. It shows that going green isn’t only for small companies in niche markets, and that the tissue paper is not just a product that consumers will have to accept as the antithesis of eco-friendly.

 

More to Come

 

However, there are still greater steps to be taken. Other major tissue manufacturers have yet to produce any sort of eco-friendly tissue product. Although Kimberly Clark is taking major steps to become more environmentally friendly, the company has yet to make a product made entirely out of recycled fibers. Companies who do produce tissue paper out of 100% recycle fibers mainly remain in niche markets.

 

Currently, most of the tissues found in our local supermarkets are made from virgin fibers. This will soon change. Some companies who do make 100% recycled tissue paper, like Marcal and Seventh Generation, are slowly growing. Even CVS and Whole Foods brands are making 100% recycled tissue paper. Although Procter and Gamble has yet to release a product made out of recycled fibers, the company has recently announced new fiber sourcing goals. These goals include having products packaged with 100% sustainable materials, and having at least 40% of pulp in tissue towels be Forest Stewardship Council certified. Perhaps one day, when we go to the supermarket, we will see an eco-friendly tissue revolution.

 

 

 

Works Cited

Bold are non-Internet origin

 

Cascades TG, , dir. Cascades Tissue Group - Sustainable Manufacturing Process. 2012. Film. 13 Feb 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ankTfenObww>.

 

Euromonitor International. (2008, March 8). Tissue products gradually embrace the green concept. Retrieved from Euromonitor Passport GMID Database.

 

Euromonitor International. (2009, April 21). Kimberly-Clark rolls out green range in the US. Retrieved from Euromonitor Passport GMID Database

 

Goldenberg, Suzanne. "American taste for soft toilet roll 'worse than driving Hummers'." The Guardian [UK] 26 Feb 2009, Weekday n. pag. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/26/toilet-roll-america>.

 

Hasek, Glenn. "Bathroom tissue gets even more eco-friendly." GreenBiz. GreenBiz.com. 29 Aug. 2012. 10 Feb. 2013 <http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2012/08/29/bathroom-tissue-more-ecofriendly?page=0,1>.

 

Kaufman, Leslie. "Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests." New York Times 26 Feb 2009, New York A17. Print. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/science/earth/26charmin.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

 

Newman, Andrew. "A Green Product, Laying Claim to the Yellow, Red and Orange." New York Times 12 Oct 2010, New York B4. Print. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/business/media/13adco.html?_r=0>.

 

"Paper toweling goes green.." PR NewsWire 07 Dec 2009, Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/450683088?accountid=14749>.

 

Procter and Gamble. "P&G Releases New Fiber Sourcing Goals for Tissue-Towel and Absorbent Hygiene Products." Press release. Yahoo! Finance. 8 Nov. 2012. 13 Feb. 2013 <http://finance.yahoo.com/news/p-g-releases-fiber-sourcing-223400151.html>.