When I was a child, the standard birthday gift for fathers was socks or cotton handkerchiefs. Adult men could be relied upon to have one on hand in an emergency. But nowadays everybody seems to carry tissues, which are more convenient when you have a cold, but you can’t embroider your initials on them or scent them with lavender to sniff delicately when you have a headache now, can you?
What’s the problem with tissues?
In 2021, tissue consumption amounted to about 41-million tonnes worldwide. The global demand for tissue is expected to increase annually over the coming decade, reaching 55-million tonnes by 2032.
Just like toilet paper and paper towels, tissues are made from trees. While some of the trees used to make tissues are harvested using renewable practices, not all of them are. Logging practices can degrade forests, contributing to global warming, the loss of habitat for plants and animals and to the pollution of waterways.
Even though tissues are made from wood pulp, they’re not recyclable. Because tissues also contain additives and chemicals from the bleaching process, they don’t biodegrade and are not recommended for your compost heap either.
And it’s not just the tissues you throw away – it’s the packaging, that often includes plastic.
Make the change
If you’re wanting to live a more eco-friendly life or you’re trying to create a zero waste bathroom, you’ll need to consider making a few changes.
- Consider buying eco-friendly tissues. Essential Green is a South African brand of tissue and paper towel that is naturally bleached and its wood-based products are issued with a CoC certification ‘to ensure the protection and sustainable use of indigenous trees’.
- Replacing packets of disposal tissues with some cotton handkerchiefs. These are still available to buy from retailers such as Woolworths or online from Faithful to Nature. You can make your own from an unused bandana or fabric offcuts.
Notebook
- Make your own hanky in 5 easy steps
This article was updated on 7 July 2023. It was originally published on 9 March 2008.
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