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Recycled or bamboo? We've got the low-down with the GHI's best buys Butter Tissue Paper
We all want to do our bit to live more sustainably, and if you’re looking for easy eco swaps you can make around the home, one easy way to make your bathroom a little greener is by switching up your toilet paper.
In the UK, we each use an average of 127 rolls per year, with millions of trees being felled to keep up with supply. But, from supermarket staples to cult brands, more environmentally-friendly loo roll is becoming increasingly available.
We put the market-leaders to the test to find the best ones, examining their eco-credentials and taking everything from softness to subscription services into account.
Made from either bamboo or 100% recycled paper, the toilet rolls we tested are all better for the planet than standard loo roll — so you’ll be sure to find one that suits your lifestyle and needs. These are our top-rated rolls at a glance:
It’s safe to say that cutting down trees to make toilet paper isn’t good for the planet. In fact, the greenest option is to forgo loo roll altogether in favour of alternatives such as bidet attachments. However, if that doesn’t appeal, opting for toilet paper made with recycled materials or from a more sustainable resource like bamboo, comes in at close second.
However, it’s not just the product itself that you need to consider; everything from packaging (toilet paper is often packaged in unnecessary single-use plastic) to the supply chain (how your product is grown, created and transported) impacts its eco-credentials.
Where the product is made also has an impact — a lot of bamboo is grown in China and some bamboo toilet paper is subsequently manufactured in China. This can affect the eco-credentials depending on how the the product is then transported, as air-freighted items have a high carbon footprint compared to other methods of transport.
It’s also worth thinking about delivery; picking some up when you’re doing your regular shop is better than driving to make a one-off trip, and a similar principle applies for online deliveries. If you’re buying directly from one of these brands, opting for a bulk delivery reduces the number of orders you’ll need, and gives you one less thing to think about for a few months.
Bamboo is a great resource for paper because it’s one of the fastest growing grasses on the planet, renewing within three to five years. "Bamboo is a very attractive renewable source for materials because it grows at much faster rates than trees," explains Paula Chin, Sustainable Materials Specialist at WWF-UK.
"However, areas growing bamboo do not promote as much biodiversity as forests, especially in areas where land has been specifically cleared to grow it."
Look for the FSC Certified 100% label for reassurance that no land has been cleared specifically to grow the bamboo and that it has has been farmed in a more sustainable way.
While bamboo may be more environmentally-friendly than wood, it is still a raw material. The benefit of 100% recycled toilet paper is that it can be made without new materials, providing a use for paper collected through recycling schemes, which can be sourced in the UK. It doesn’t tend to be as soft as bamboo, but it’s often made more locally.
Be aware of any with the FSC Mix label because this means that a mixture of virgin and recycled fibres was used to make the toilet paper, reducing its eco credentials.
Ultimately, when choosing your toilet paper, you need to decide what you want to prioritise from a sustainability perspective; be that packaging, materials or how the product has travelled. If you really want to do your research, look for toilet paper that is produced using a non chlorine-based bleaching process, as this is better for the environment.
We put the toilet papers through a series of tests in the Good Housekeeping Institute, looking at how well the tissues tear along the perforations, assessing absorbency, and seeing how strong the sheets remain when wet. We also sent the products out to a panel of testers to get their verdicts on how soft the toilet paper is, as well ass their likes, dislikes and whether they’d buy it or recommend it to others.
We also take some sustainability claims into account, although, as highlighted above, there are many elements that can make a product more environmentally friendly or not. As a result, our scoring isn't exhaustive. These are the eco claims our testers do consider: what the loo rolls are made of, how they are packaged, and where they are manufactured.
Scroll on for our winning wipers...
Made from 100% bamboo, our winning toilet roll seriously impressed our testers. Everyone said they would buy it again and would recommend it to family and friends. The soft loo roll perforates perfectly and has great tear strength. You can buy it in as little as a pack of four, which is ideal if storage is limited, and up to a batch of 45 rolls if you prefer to bulk buy.
It’s not made in the UK, but packaging is plastic-free and if you subscribe with the company, you can earn points and donate to charities including the World Land Trust (WLT). The company also donates to the WLT to offset its carbon, with funds going towards protecting the Khe Nuoc Trong rainforest in Vietnam.
Give back when you stock up — this brand donates a percentage of its profits to charity Just A Drop, which provides clean water for school children in Kenya. You can buy up to 96 rolls in one go, which is ideal if you have a big family, and there’s also the option to buy 24 if storage is more limited. You get a substantial 300 sheets per roll, too.
This bamboo toilet paper felt strong with decent perforations, although it did fray when we tore along them. It also wasn’t particularly absorbent. It's unbleached and chemical-free, which boosts its eco-creds.
You can only buy this toilet paper in a batch of either 64 or 80 rolls at a time, so if making a bigger outlay isn’t for you, scroll onto our next recommendation. If you have the storage room for all this loo roll, however, it’s soft and tears well.
It’s not as absorbent as some of the other brands we tried, and it’s not made in the UK, but if you’re after a comfortable-to-use bulk buy that doesn’t disintegrate too quickly, it’s a great option.
A recent addition to supermarket shelves, this one has a lot more to it than its eye-catching, plastic-free packaging. It’s made in the UK and we liked how transparent the brand is about its manufacturing process, transforming magazines and newspapers into this end product.
Its absorbency was good and its tear strength, decent. The perforations let it down a little, with the loo roll tending to tear in half more often than other brands. The 2-ply paper also felt quite rough to use. It’s affordable though and easy to pick up when you’re doing your weekly shop.
This offering from Sainsbury’s is definitely worth adding to your basket. It’s made from recycled paper, comes in plastic-free packaging, and is an affordable and easy way to make an eco swap in your home. The toilet paper doesn’t feel the thickest, but we found it still absorbed well in our tests. The perforations tear well, although once wet it wasn’t as strong as some other brands. Our testers didn’t find it the smoothest tissue either but overall it ticks a lot of boxes.
Something of a cult brand, Who Gives A Crap is well known for its toilet roll subscriptions and fun packaging. It can even double up as gift wrap if you’re feeling thrifty, and features facts and activities to pass the time when you’re on the loo. Half of its profits get donated to charities such as Water Aid to help build toilets around the world, and the fact it’s made from 100% recycled fibres impressed our testers.
You get lots of soft sheets per roll — 400, in fact — but they feel thin, which may make you want to use more when wiping. The perforations aren’t great either, and the plys frayed when torn. They are a pricier option, but if you’ve got the room to store them, these toilet rolls should last you a long time.
Made entirely from recycled cellulose — natural fibres such as wood and paper — this toilet paper is soft and boasts good absorbency and perforations, but the sheets are narrow.
Available in packs of nine, they'll last a while without taking up precious storage space. Alternatively, you can buy in bulk — you’ll receive five packs of nine, which you could split up and slide into small spaces to store if need be.
It’s not made in the UK, and although we liked the look of the packaging, it’s made from plastic, which some may find off-putting.
When you’ve unpacked these toilet rolls, the plastic-free packaging can be added to your compost or food-waste bin. The loo roll itself felt soft but thin, and didn’t always absorb well. It also frayed when tearing along the perforations.
There’s the option of a subscription for faff-free restocking, and most of our testers said they would buy it again. Unfortunately, it’s not made in the UK, but the company does plant a tree for every purchase.
Cheeky Panda's toilet roll was a hit with our testers; soft, with a good tear strength, it also comes in plastic-free packaging and is made from 100% bamboo.
If you want to pick up a more eco-friendly loo roll on your supermarket shop, Naked Sprout's unbleached bamboo toilet roll is available on Ocado. It's strong with good perforations, and uses FSC Certified bamboo.
Or, if you prefer a recycled option, Feel Good's 100% recycled toilet paper is made in the UK and offers good absorbency and tear strength.
We've been testing products for over 100 years at the GHI, from vacuums to mattress toppers, and we develop rigorous protocols to see how they measure up to their claims.
Blossom Boothroyd, our senior homes tester, has reviewed thousands of products, and is passionate about finding the best ones for your home.
Hannah Mendelsohn, the GHI's homes editor, is particularly interested in sustainability in the home and has studied sustainable textiles at the University of Arts London, so is experienced at interrogating brands' green claims to find out what stands up to scrutiny and what doesn't.
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.
Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
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Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Corrugated Carton Sheet Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.