Is toilet paper the greatest threat to the environment?
“The tenderness of the delicate American buttocks,” according to the UK’s Guardian, “is causing more environmental devastation than the country’s love for gas-guzzling cars, fast food, or McMansions.” North America’s obsession with uber-soft toilet paper has driven the growth of toilet paper giants, Kleenex, Cottonelle, and Charmin, by more than 40% in recent years. With $100 million worth of marketing for products like three-ply toilet paper and tissues infused with hand lotion, it’s no wonder people are buying this stuff. “This is a product that we use for less than three seconds, and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it…are worse than driving a Hummer,” says Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Although toilet paper made from recycled fibers can be made at similar cost, the fibers taken from standing trees give toilet paper the luxurious plushness Americans demand.
