Around the Net

Environmentalists Take Hard Line On Soft Toilet Paper

An ongoing target of environmentalists is soft toilet paper -- which has, by the way, actually been getting fluffier and harder to recycle over the years, all marketing hype aside. In fact, writes David A. Fahrenthold. "Quilted Northern Ultra Plush is the first big brand to go three ply and three adjective."

Environmentalists say that the soft tissue depends on the kindness of old trees. They'd like to see us go European, where the somewhat stiffer paper is made from recycled pulp. The big guys in the toilet-paper game protest that they're trying to "become more Earth-friendly" but are acceding to their customer's demands for the plush stuff. Last month, Greenpeace announced an agreement with Kimberly-Clark in which 40% of the fiber in all K-C's tissue products will come from recycled paper or sustainable forests by 2011.

Meanwhile, Marcal, a smaller manufacturer that has long pushed environmental concerns, is trying to persuade customers to try its 100% recycled paper. "At what price softness?" asks CEO Tim Spring. "Should I contribute to clear-cutting and deforestation because the big [marketing] machine has told me that softness is important?"

advertisement

advertisement

Read the whole story at Los Angeles Times »

Next story loading loading..