NRDC’s Issue with Tissue Shows Procter & Gamble Fails Sustainable Toilet Paper Test

WASHINGTON - For the sixth year in row, Procter & Gamble failed the toilet paper sustainability test, scoring across the board Fs on Charmin and its other brands in the latest The Issue with Tissuereport by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).

In contrast, Georgia-Pacific, which began selling 100% recycled content toilet paper, and Kimberly-Clark, which set new sustainability standards, earned passing grades for the first time. American bathrooms are stocked with toilet paper and tissues sourced from the Canadian boreal forest, one of the world's largest and most ecologically important intact forests.

"Of the big three toilet paper makers, P&G is now the lone holdout fully committed to uprooting forests to supply American bathrooms with the ultimate in disposable products," said Ashley Jordan, corporate campaign advocate at NRDC and report author. "But now for the first time, we are seeing other major manufacturers take steps to end the tree-to-toilet pipeline, proving that P&G, too, can chart a better course."

Trees in forests like the boreal are powerful carbon sinksthat absorb and store vast amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide. This makes them one of our biggest helpers in stopping Earth's overheating, and their loss to make tissue products is devastating for all of us. 

Here's how the Big Three U.S. tissue makers, which together account for 80% of the toilet paper market, fared in the 2024 The Issue with Tissuescorecard: 

• Georgia-Pacific soared to the top of NRDC's scorecard rankings for the first time with its ARIA toilet paper, moving from an F grade to an A+ as a relaunched brand made from 100% recycled content. 
• Kimberly-Clark eked out a D for all its tissue brands-advancing from past F's-based on its commitment to avoid deforestation and reduce the impact of natural forest degradation across its supply chains. 
• Procter & Gamble (P&G), maker of Charmin, remains at the back of the pack with straight Fs, for the sixth year in a row. P&G remains the only Big Three U.S. tissue company to score Fs across the board.

Alternatives to wood-pulp based toilet paper are creating a more sustainable tissue marketplace. Toilet paper made with recycled content has one-third the carbon footprint of toilet paper made from forest fiber, and bamboo is a huge improvement over using trees. Rising popularityin tissue-saving options like bidets and bidet toilet seat attachments may help to reduce toilet paper use by 75% to as much as 90%.

"Consumers not only want, but are demandingsustainable goods, yet Procter & Gamble and too many other companies and retailers are continuing to ignore the devastation they are causing," said Shelley Vinyard, corporate campaign director at NRDC. "This year's Issue with Tissue shows that this isn't the case for every manufacturer. Some have answered the call and they'll be the ones who thrive in this shifting market, all while helping protect the planet."

New datareleased by the Canadian government places net annual emissions from logging as almost twice as high as government figures from previous years. This means that the climate impacts of Canada's logging industry are even greater than previously thought, and much of this can be attributed directly to companies purchasing wood pulp to make tissue products.

NRDC also recently released Selling the World's Forests,a report on how U.S. retailers are failing their customers and the planet by selling toilet paper, paper towels, and other goods sourced from climate-critical forests, despite investors, policymakers, and consumers demanding they take responsibility for their part in securing a livable future for our planet. Both NRDC reports show that the market is shifting to meet consumer demand for sustainable products and now it's on companies and retailers to ensure those products are widely available and accessible.

Key Findings of The Issue with Tissue Sixth Edition report include:

NRDC scored 145 tissue products made for at-home use in three categories: Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, and Facial Tissue. Among those scored, 16 brands received an "A+" and 22 an "A" based on their high percentages of recycled content, and specifically postconsumer content. Another 28 brands received a "B" or "B+" grade, largely for content consisting of 100% FSC-certified bamboo. 

Of the 61 toilet paper brands evaluated, Georgia-Pacific's "ARIA," Planet Inc.'s "Green Forest," Natural Value, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods Market's "365 by Whole Foods Market, 100% Recycled" nabbed the top spots.

Links:
Download NRDC's Toilet Paper Scorecard GRAPHIC (PDF): LINK
Download the Issue with Tissue Sixth Edition report: LINK
NRDC's Ashley Jordan's blog on the new report: LINK
Boreal forest photography: Photo credit is required: River Jordan for NRDC: LINKand then enter the password: NRDC_IssueTissue
B-roll (video) of the Boreal forest in Ontario: LINKand enter the password: NRDC_IssueTissue

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).

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