Soft toilet paper becomes target of environmentalists

[CoolBreeze]

Why should Americans use luxurious toilet paper made from old-growth trees when much of the world gets by with a far more basic and often recycled product?

Why should we flush redwoods, so to speak?

So Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups have pushed manufacturers such as Kimberly-Clark (Cottonelle) and Procter & Gamble (Charmin) to stop using wood from virgin forests to make tissue products.

Mountains of paper are dumped every day into recycling bins in homes, offices, factories and schools. Use that to make toilet paper, the activists said.

The problem, though, is that each time paper is shredded during the recycling process, its fibers get shorter. The shorter the fiber, the less soft the tissue. And Americans, though indicating in surveys that they embraced green initiatives, also said they don't want to sacrifice comfort.

"The truth is that other parts of the world are further along in using recycled content," said Kay Jackson, spokeswoman for Kimberly-Clark. "The American consumer still wants softness, and they are speaking with their pocketbooks."

Pulling back in a competitive market is asking a lot, manufacturers said. They also point out that only 5 percent of forest-industry production goes toward toilet paper.

Environmentalists said other countries — particularly in South America, Africa and Asia — seem to be OK with "soft enough."

Critics, though, such as Natural Resources Defense Council senior scientist Allen Hershkowitz, point out that many of the reforms apply only to the professional market — schools, businesses, theaters, stadiums and restaurants.

Home is another tissue. There, many Americans insist on the pillowy soft of virgin fibers.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/80229.html

First SUVs, then coal, now this. Environmentalists can kiss my non-chafed ass.

[genlock]

I suspect the enviros like soft ass-wipe just like normal people.
The time is near to punch out some of the tree huggers.
If they want institutional grade toilet paper, then they should buy it.
Leave me alone.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I seriously doubt the problem with cutting down Redwoods is as bad as the tree huggers are crying about ... but surely to God we can find a way to take the mountains and mountains of paper being thrown away or recycled and turn it into nice soft, cushioney, perfumed toilet paper. I don't believe for a minute that el-cheapo 40-grit sandpaper asswipe is all that can ever be made from recycled paper.

[AmpedNow]

I seriously doubt the problem with cutting down Redwoods is as bad as the tree huggers are crying about ... but surely to God we can find a way to take the mountains and mountains of paper being thrown away or recycled and turn it into nice soft, cushioney, perfumed toilet paper. I don't believe for a minute that el-cheapo 40-grit sandpaper asswipe is all that can ever be made from recycled paper.

I think they would rather us become "one" with nature -- by using our hands and hooting like apes.

[Jet Black]

Maybe I'm daft, but I can't see anybody cutting up good lumber for pulp products. Surely this stuff is made from the branches, etc, that are too small for milling. But just in case they do, if it was burning up precious, rare materials, wouldn't TP cost a lot more? Can't believe there is any real problem here except in the imaginations of green socialists.

Do you think Al Gore has anything but the best in his private jet or massive log lodge? Do you think if we gave it up, he would give it up?

[genlock]

In the vast holdings or Weyerhauser and Georgia-Pacific, when trees are harvested, they are stripped of branches and bark, sized as to length and suitability and shipped. The "waste" that is left behind along with all the scrub trees are chipped and sent to pupl mills to make paper. Additional waste is added from the mills where the wood is sawn and turned into a final product. The trees are re-planted in anticipation of the next harvest in twenty to thirty years. A clear cut is required to properly plant the next crop of trees.
Forestry business is just like farming except on a longer time frame. A good example of forestry management is in the woodlots of western europe (Huertgen and Ardennes forests). These are longer term prospects with hardwood trees arranged in straight lines and spaced for optimum growth.
In this case the environmentalists are using the media to keep their cause in front of the public. These people depend on the media for their recruits even if their recruits are in small numbers. The type of recruit that would buy into this argument is easily moved by media stories and will be almost religious in their zeal. The media is in this scam up to their eyeballs.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Well stated, Genlock. Agreed.

[cgarison]

Hmmmm.......

I know in Philly I have to use less luxurious toilet paper because the old pipes in the house I live in will not handle Charmin Ultra without clogging a toilet to the point where I have to use a snake attached to a drill (sometimes called an Electric Eel) to clear the clog.

Honestly, I am more concerned about the energy used to make the toilet paper than the material that is used to produce this commodity.

[Bob Campbell]

I must say I can't stand Charmin or Cottonelle. Not because they're soft, but, and maybe it's just me, they seem to have a very high dingleberry to tissue ration. That's why I prefer Quilted Northern or Angel Soft. And Food Lion has a store brand that's nearly identical to Northern, so I'll buy that also.
Perhaps it's all the redwood fiber that makes Charmin and Cottonelle so dingleberryish.

[Jet Black]

Thread killed.