Eco-friendly toilet paper

Last updated: 2 February 2024
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Facts about toilet paper

Regular toilet paper is made from virgin fibres by cutting down trees. Every year thousands of trees are lost unnecessarily to create products like toilet paper – an estimated 22 billion rolls in Europe alone. If you use regular toilet paper you are literally flushing trees down the toilet, and so-called 'flushable' wet wipes are no better.

Good news about toilet paper

Recycled toilet paper is made from 100% post-consumer waste, such as textbooks and office paper. Using recycled paper means fewer trees are cut down, leaving them in the ground to keep our air clean, provide homes for animals and protect soil from erosion.

Choosing recycled toilet paper also saves energy, since the production of paper and cardboard products made from recycled paper uses 50% less energy and 90% less water than making them from raw materials. There are now many improved recycled toilet paper products on the market. If you haven't tried recycled toilet paper or haven't tried it recently, you might be surprised how similar it is to regular toilet paper.

Which recycled toilet paper should you buy?

Recycled toilet paper is available in all major supermarkets. It's best to choose brands that are Australian made and have the most sustainable practices. There are also several companies that sell recycled toilet paper online and deliver it to your home, and some of them even donate part of their profits to help build toilets for those in need.

ShopEthical rates recycled toilet papers according to product rating, ownership, industry alerts and animal ingredient alerts. Make sure the recycled toilet paper you choose is made from 100% post-consumer paper, contains no harsh chemicals and is packaged in recyclable packaging.

What you can do

Buy recycled toilet paper

It's time to stop flushing trees. Start using recycled toilet paper today, to protect our environment and wildlife.

Wipe for wildlife

Wipe for wildlife is a campaign by Zoos Victoria to help save local wildlife by encouraging people to switch to wildlife friendly toilet paper. Find out how you can get involved.

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