Bamboo toilet paper has become a popular alternative to conventional tissue products, often marketed as a more sustainable choice because bamboo grows quickly and can reduce reliance on forests.
However, the material listed on the package is only part of a tissue product’s environmental story.
We extensively researched the lifecycle impacts of sanitary paper products as we updated our certification standard for toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels, and other towel and tissue products. We found that responsibly sourced bamboo can offer important environmental advantages over virgin forest fiber.
Our findings also reinforced something that applies to other product categories: you can’t judge environmental performance based on a single attribute.
Here are five things to consider when evaluating a bamboo tissue product.
1. Where does the bamboo come from?
Bamboo has some compelling characteristics as a fiber source. It’s highly productive and fast-growing, and some species regenerate much faster than northern softwood. When grown responsibly, using bamboo instead of virgin forest fiber also has the potential to reduce pressure on forests with high conservation and carbon-storage value.
Poorly managed bamboo production, however, can contribute to excessive water or fertilizer use, pollution, conversion of natural forests, and impacts from invasive species. Simply knowing that a product is made of bamboo fiber is not enough to determine whether it was responsibly sourced.
We require bamboo in certified tissue products to come from sources certified to credible third-party programs such as FSC 100% Bamboo or the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials Standard for Advanced Products.
2. Does the product contain the fiber it claims?
Fiber supply chains can be complex, and documentation alone doesn’t always provide sufficient assurance about the composition of the finished product. In fact, one analysis of five bamboo brands found that some products claiming to be 100% bamboo contained less than 3% bamboo fiber.
Our standard requires manufacturers of alternative-fiber products to conduct fiber analysis testing using the TAPPI T 401 method. The test identifies the fibers present in paper and paperboard and provides an additional check on supply-chain integrity. This means a bamboo claim on a Green Seal-certified product has been independently verified as part of the certification process, so consumers and purchasers don’t have to wonder if the packaging reflects what the product is truly made from.
3. How is the tissue manufactured?
Turning bamboo — or any fiber — into soft, usable tissue takes significant processing. Two products made with the same type of fiber can have different environmental impacts depending on how they are manufactured.
Pulp and paper manufacturing is energy- and water-intensive, making production an important contributor to the lifecycle impacts of a sanitary paper product. Our research found that evaluating the fiber without considering how it becomes the finished product only shows a small portion of the environmental picture.
Green Seal-certified sanitary paper manufacturers must meet requirements for energy and water use. They also must track and work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through an environmental management system (EMS). This requires manufacturing facilities to provide documentation demonstrating an environmental policy with clear scope, organizational context, objectives, and actions taken to achieve them; policies and procedures to manage the EMS; a needs assessment for staff education to implement it; and continued improvement.
4. What chemicals are used to make it?
The chemicals used in papermaking affect the sustainability of the end product, too.
Our standard restricts hazardous chemicals including fragrances and intentionally added PFAS as functional papermaking additives. These requirements address impacts that a fiber-sourcing claim alone does not.
5. What about packaging and performance?
A tissue product isn’t environmentally preferable if its other impacts are simply ignored. The Green Seal standard for sanitary paper includes packaging requirements designed to minimize waste and improve recyclability. Certified products must also demonstrate that they perform effectively — because a product needs to do its job reliably, not simply be made from a preferable material.
So, is bamboo toilet paper a more sustainable choice?
It can be — but “made with bamboo” isn’t enough information to answer that question.
Our research found that responsibly sourced bamboo can have a smaller environmental footprint than virgin forest fiber. It also found that recycled fiber and some other alternative fibers can have lower impacts than bamboo.
Therefore, we don’t treat bamboo itself as proof that a tissue product is more sustainable. Instead, our certification evaluates the product across its lifecycle, including:
- what fiber it contains
- where that fiber comes from
- how the product is manufactured
- what chemicals are used
- how it is packaged
- whether it performs
And now consumers have a real-world example. Plant Paper recently became the first brand to earn Green Seal certification for bamboo toilet paper and facial tissue, demonstrating that bamboo tissue products can meet these comprehensive requirements.