This leaves the consumer as the ultimate key in the resolution of the issue - through their ability to choose more benign products. However, unlike the fine paper, when a tissue product in the store is labeled recycled, it does not mean it even meets the EPA guidelines. The variance in recycled content in tissue products labeled recycled is normally much greater than in fine paper. But it is getting better. Papermaking is a dirty business.
Paper mills are among the most polluting of industries.
The paper industry is the greatest energy consumer in our country. The U.S. paper industry's reliance on chlorine-intensive bleaching places this industry as the worst water polluter in the world. Paper is not all paper. Making paper requires a great deal of water, energy, and chemistry. Many chemicals associated with the manufacture of paper are toxic or result in toxic waste.