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How is toilet paper made?

How Is Toilet Paper made?

In the age of computers and cell phones, paper isn’t as essential as it once was. But there’s one kind that would be hard to go without—and that’s toilet paper. In fact, billions of rolls of toilet paper are manufactured every year in the United States alone. In fact, the US accounts for around 20% of the world’s toilet paper consumption, while making up just 4% of the world's population.

As you might imagine, toilet paper isn’t soft and white naturally. It takes a lot of resources and energy to get it that way. Here's a look at how toilet paper is made and how that process impacts the environment.

Trees are cut down and turned into pulp.

Unless it’s made from a sustainable fiber—like bamboo—or post-consumer materials, toilet paper relies on virgin wood from freshly harvested trees. Logging to make toilet paper often occurs in old-growth areas, like the boreal forest in Canada, impacting local wildlife, native plants, and indigenous populations.

After harvesting, the logs are taken to a pulp mill and cut into wood chips. This is the first step in the process of converting trees into paper pulp.

The pulp used to make toilet paper is mostly made from cellulose, a natural fiber that exists in plants and trees. Manufacturers use a chemical process to break down the wood chips and remove biomaterials, like lignin, which are too hard and rigid to be used to make toilet paper.

When the process is complete, the paper pulp is flattened into sheets and prepared for further treatment.

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Paper pulp is cleaned and bleached.

The paper pulp isn’t quite ready to be turned into toilet paper. First, it needs to be cleaned and bleached, a process that gives T.P. its soft and white characteristics.

In the past, this process relied on elemental chlorine, a chemical bleaching agent known for negatively impacting the environment, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Today, many companies use more eco-friendly chemicals that are mostly free of elemental chlorine. While this is better for the planet, it may still affect the environment by releasing pollution into the air and local water sources.

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Drying and quality control.

The paper pulp is now clean and white—but it’s also full of water. Its moisture is removed through a series of machines that filter, compress, and heat the paper pulp until it’s dry.

Finally, the paper pulp is beginning to resemble toilet paper. After being processed into large sheets and ironed out with mechanical rollers, the toilet paper undergoes quality control to ensure it is thick and dense enough to be sold to consumers.

Rolling, perforation, decorating, and packaging.

At this stage in the manufacturing process, the toilet paper wouldn’t fit in your house, let alone your bathroom. It's contained in giant rolls that, in some cases, can weigh up to 40 tons!

These massive reels are unwound with specialized machines that separate them into regular-sized rolls for distribution. They are also layered if it's a multi-ply product, perforated with tiny holes for softness, dyed bright or pastel hues if desired, and decorated with patterns or designs. All that’s left to do is to package it up and ship it to stores and warehouses. It is important to note that the toilet paper industry uses vast amounts of energy and fossil fuels, not only during production processes, but also in the transportation of toilet paper and its resources around the globe.

How is recycled toilet paper made?

Toilet paper made from recycled paper—instead of virgin wood—undergoes a similar manufacturing process. But there are some major differences along the way.

To create pulp this way, recycled paper has to undergo several distinctive processes, including the sorting and removal of non-useable materials, like plastic and cardboard. It also has to be thoroughly broken down, cleaned, and treated to remove any leftover ink. After the creation of the pulp, the manufacturing process begins to mirror that of regular toilet paper.

Helping the planet by using less toilet paper.

Toilet paper is a convenient way to clean yourself after you go. But it’s also tough on the environment. Reducing the amount of toilet paper you use with a bidet—or by using T.P. made from sustainable or recycled materials—not only helps save trees and energy. It helps reduce the amount of pollution released into the environment, too.

Brondell Sutro Integrated Bidet installed in a luxurious modern bathroom
Brondell Sutro Integrated Bidet installed in a luxurious modern bathroom