 Napkins are very versatile things that we use in our day to day lives. They clean up our faces from meals and are sometimes used for cleanup or other additional purposes. However, paper use is one of the biggest waste generators EnviroCitizen.org has come across. It is the cause of the loss of many forests. There is also the problem of the bleaching and coloring methods and chemicals used. Finally, there is the waste issue itself. There are solutions to this, however. You will find that making the switch to eco-friendly napkins made with green practices is both easy and practical.
First of all, check out products that use recycled content. Whatever you prefer to buy, make sure that you verify what percentage of post-consumer fiber the product contains. PCW or Post-consumer waste is better than pre-consumer because it means you are showing support for community recycling programs. Try not to be influenced by labels covered with the word "recycled" without a PCW percentage listed since the product is likely made with only a fraction of post-consumer waste. This typically is as little as 10%. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) provides a very useful Napkin Guide. They looked into many brands of napkins to find the best options. Their chart covers three important points of buying paper products. They cover the bleaching process, the percent recycled and the percent of napkins made from post-consumer waste. You'll want to pay special attention to their recommendations for which brands to avoid altogether.
Also, check to see how the napkins have been whitened, avoiding products whitened with chlorine bleach. Look for processed chlorine-free (PCF) since it means no toxic chemicals will end up in our water supply due to processing or usage. Though elemental chlorine free (ECF) might seem like a good product, it really isn't because it just means bleach was used, just without chlorine. Steer clear of those as well. You can also simply just choose unbleached paper products instead since the fibers are simply left alone for that part of processing.
There are several brands that you can try. Marcal is the oldest company in recycled paper products. Their napkins are made with 60% post-consumer recycled fibers, which means that it has been made from mostly products that consumers themselves have recycled. Marcal's earth-conscious efforts are tallied to have saved 6,000 trees, 2 million gallons of water, 140,000 gallons of oil, 30,000 cubic feet of landfill space and 22,000 pounds of pollution to date. They also are starting to make their products more convenient to buy by sending them to stores such as Walgreen's and other national chains.
EnviroCitizen.org challenges you to monitor your paper consumption and choose products carefully before purchasing. Check out EnviroCitizen.org's selection of recycled paper products.
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