Sustainable Toilet Paper, Bidets, & Reusables
I’ve never met a person who doesn’t buy toilet paper. Have you? Toilet paper is kind of an essential in today’s world, and although I have many thoughts about the toilet paper industry, most Americans will continue to live a life that requires them to buy TP. So, when you’re buying into an industry that’s killing the environment, how can you do it in the most sustainable way?
I found every possible toilet paper brand that markets themselves as “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” and researched what’s really behind the brand. There are A LOT of brands out there that say they’re doing good – but only a few live up to their own words. I had a list of over 20 brands that market themselves as sustainable or tree-free toilet paper. They all had similar messaging about wanting to save the environment or provide access to sanitation in foreign countries. But, after digging into all of these brands, I was disappointed that there’s only one brand I would give my money to.
What Brand Of Toilet Paper Is The Most Sustainable?
With so many companies advertising that they’re doing great things, it’s disappointing to me that only one brand truly lived up to the hype. Who Gives A Crap is the best sustainable toilet paper brand out there. They offer both 100% bamboo toilet paper and 100% recycled toilet paper, depending on your preference, and donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets in areas with limited sanitation. That’s a large percentage, making me instantly trust they’re probably on the right path. Plus, they offer tissues and paper towels too, so it can become your one-stop-shop for all paper products. On top of all of this, the main reason they are so much better than all of the other brands is their B Certification.
Certified B Corporations meet the highest international standards of verified social impact, environmental impact, transparency, and legal accountability. Businesses that are B Certified have to be fully open and honest about all parts of their supply chain from the farms the bamboo is growing to how they treat their workers. You can read more about becoming B Certified in the link above. Another very cool resource is their directory where you can see all B Certified Corporations to aid your search in discovering new conscious brands.
Are There Any Other Brands I Could Choose From?
If you try both of Who Gives A Crap’s toilet paper styles and don’t like it, the two other brands that I considered putting in this list are Reel Paper and Cloud Paper. While neither of these brands are B Corp Certified, they’re both doing good things. They both use 100% bamboo, zero plastic, and no inks or dyes. Plus, Cloud Paper offsets carbon emissions in their transportation and shipping, which is a step the other brands aren’t taking. While Who Gives A Crap takes the cake for the best-of-the-best, these are alternatives that are still okay, and most likely better than what you’re buying now.
Where Can I Find Toilet Paper Alternatives?
At the end of the day, toilet paper will never be sustainable. Anything that has such a short lifespan isn’t sustainable. So, because of that, I’ve really struggled with my own moral compass. I don’t want to support consumerism and capitalism, so, I made the switch to using a bidet!
It took getting used to, but now, it’s natural and not even a big deal. I bought it from Amazon before the pandemic, and although Amazon is a terrible company and I never suggest supporting them if you have alternatives, they also offer the most affordable bidet I’ve seen. So – if you’ve been wanting to try a bidet but can’t get yourself to pay $200 for a name-brand one, I would suggest buying the same $40 one I bought. While Amazon as a company is not sustainable, I think buying this one product from them would ultimately be of benefit to the environment if it means you’re consuming less toilet paper.
With my new bidet-approved lifestyle, I found that toilet paper is really just a tool used to dry off, instead of wiping anything away. TMI? I don’t think so – we’re open and honest human beings here, and I’ve never met someone who didn’t poop. Because of this, I’ve decided to also invest in reusable toilet paper. This one always makes people cringe a little bit, but there is nothing strange about reusable toilet paper. Before mass production and consumption, reusable toilet paper was a norm, just like reusable diapers and frankly reusable everything.
Although I use much less toilet paper, I still feel a sense of guilt for using paper to wipe away water when I could just use a washcloth. Two brands that have reusable toilet paper options are Net Zero Co. and Marley’s Monsters. I’m contemplating buying some, but for now I have some old washcloths that do the job and would be going to waste otherwise.
The whole point behind sustainability is to unteach yourself consumerism and capitalism and to unteach yourself that products have a finite time before you need a replacement. If you want to be more sustainable, don’t buy products that have a short life-span like fast fashion and toilet paper. And, if you do need products like this, do your research to find the brand that’s the best option when it comes to sustainability. There are so many new companies that were created with sustainability and social impact in mind, so stop supporting the Unilever’s of the world and start supporting these small businesses that actually care.