Your goal should be to reduce paper consumption as much as possible, but when buying paper products such as facial tissue, toilet paper, paper napkins (we hope you mostly use cloth napkins,) paper towels, and printing paper, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose paper with high percentages of post-consumer recycled content.
- Look for paper that has been processed chlorine-free.
- If buying paper with virgin content, look for sustainable forestry certifications, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- Look for papers certified by multiple-attribute certification bodies such as EcoLogo and Green Seal.
The benefits of producing paper from recycled fibers are many: fewer trees cut down, less water and energy consumed, less pollution generated. And now that studies have shown recycled paper products are comparable to conventional products in quality, performance and cost, the case for buying recycled is stronger than ever. There are also “tree-free” alternatives out there; fibers from hemp, kenaf, flax, cotton, banana stalks, and other plant-based materials can be used to produce paper
