Sustainable recycled tissue


Global non-profit Green Seal, a certifier of eco-friendly towel and tissue products, announced a new leadership standard for sanitary paper products that contain no virgin tree fiber and meet meaningful manufacturing and packaging sustainability requirements.

Long a leader in certifying 100% recycled fiber products, the organization’s new standard now also includes a certification pathway for tree-free alternatives, expanding opportunities for brands that produce responsibly sourced bamboo sanitary paper to verify their sustainability leadership.

The standard defines sustainability leadership in this product category as meeting the following criteria:

·       Responsible Sourcing: Made from 100% recycled content or responsibly sourced alternative fibers that achieve substantial savings in carbon emissions and protect ancient and endangered forests.

·       Safer Chemicals: Uses chlorine-free bleaching (for recycled products) or elemental chlorine-free bleaching (for alternative fiber products) and is made without fragrances, PFAS, and other harmful chemicals.

·       Low-Impact Manufacturing: Manufactured with reduced water and energy use at a facility with a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The manufacturer provides a safe and hygienic workplace, fair wages and working conditions and ensures freedom from discrimination and harassment.

·       Sustainable Packaging: Uses recyclable or minimized packaging.

Americans consume an average total of 19.2 billion pounds a year of sanitary paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue. The fiber composition of these products has a significant impact on their overall environmental footprint. For example, products made from virgin fiber can generate three times as many CO2 emissions as products made from other types of pulp.

By meeting stringent fiber sourcing and manufacturing criteria, Green Seal-certified recycled sanitary paper products saved 8.5 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2024 -- the equivalent of taking 2 million cars off the road.

“Buyers trust Green Seal-certified sanitary paper products because they significantly reduce carbon emissions, protect ancient and endangered forests, and preserve water resources,” said Doug Gatlin, CEO of Green Seal. “Our new standard maintains this high leadership bar while growing market impact by inviting a broader group of manufacturers to verify their sustainability achievement.”

Green Seal developed its new standard in collaboration with the leading towel and tissue brands, purchasers, and policy advocates in its Working Group to promote industry alignment on meaningful claims and criteria for this product category.

“We’re thrilled that Green Seal has created a certification pathway for responsibly sourced bamboo and other alternative fibers,” said Ryan Fritsch, co-founder of Save Trees (formerly Cloud Paper) and a member of Green Seal’s Sanitary Paper Working Group. “This is a major step forward for sustainability in the paper industry. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource that offers a powerful solution for reducing deforestation and protecting our old-growth forests. With this new standard, bamboo products can finally stand alongside recycled paper under one of the most trusted ecolabels in the market. We’re excited to pursue Green Seal certification for our products and introduce a new option for both commercial and household customers seeking high-performance paper with verified environmental benefits.”

"We were excited to be part of Green Seal’s Working Group and help shape a standard that raises the bar for what truly sustainable paper products should look like,” said Lyndsey Childs, U.S. sourcing & production director at Who Gives A Crap. “Collaborating with others in the industry gave us a chance to contribute to criteria that are both rigorous and impactful, especially for tree-free products like ours. We’re already following these practices and hope this encourages more businesses to do the same, for the benefit of people and the planet."

Sanitary paper products certified to Green Seal’s standard meet the environmentally preferable purchasing requirements of a host of states, local governments, K-12 schools, colleges, corporations, hospitality properties, and the federal government. Additionally, products certified to the standard qualify for points in the LEED v5 green building standard and qualify for Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program.

Learn more about Green Seal’s sanitary paper product standard here.