Ellen Montgomery
Director, Public Lands Campaign, Environment America Research & Policy Center
Report grades toilet paper companies on forest impacts
Media Contacts
DENVER – On Monday, Environment America Research & Policy Center released an updated report card that grades six toilet paper manufacturers and distributors on their environmental and forest protection policies and actions. This is the second edition of the report card, updating the previous grades from December 2022.
Environment America Research & Policy Center has sent at least two letters to tissue companies, including Amazon, Costco, Georgia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark, Procter & Gamble and Walmart, making recommendations for what the manufacturers can do to reduce their impact on forests.
“We are facing a biodiversity crisis and a climate crisis, both of which can be mitigated by leaving our forests standing,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center Public Lands Campaign Director Ellen Montgomery. “But despite numerous requests from shareholder advocates, environmental groups and members of the public, the big tissue companies continue to drag their feet to protect forests and our climate.”
Much of the virgin wood pulp used to make toilet paper is sourced from the Canadian boreal forest. As reported by the New York Times, a new study shows that logging in the boreal forest is causing severe damage to the ecosystem, harming wildlife and compromising the forest’s ability to absorb and store carbon, which is critical for fighting climate change. The study demonstrates that re-planting trees to replace those that are logged is not actually working to restore the forest ecosystem.
In the progress report, toilet paper companies are graded on three metrics: whether or not they sell products made of entirely recycled fibers or alternative fibers, such as sustainably grown bamboo; their Scope 3 emissions reduction plan, or lack thereof; and their commitment to a free, prior and informed consent policy to protect the lands rights of Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities.
“The boreal forest is sometimes called the ‘bird nursery’ for North America. There are more than a billion birds in the boreal and we’re destroying their homes so we can have super-absorbent toilet paper. Humans have lived for centuries without toilet paper. Birds and other wildlife cannot live without intact ecosystems. The boreal forest is a special place and deserves our protection, not for economic gain, but for its beauty and biodiversity.” said Montgomery.