Paper handkerchiefs and the “Blue Angel”. Can they have anything in common?

Have you ever thought about paper handkerchiefs?

No? Easy to understand. Because handkerchiefs, as well as any other useful everyday companions seem rather inconspicuous. Only when they are not at hand, although they are urgently needed, you definitely do think of them. But otherwise? No, not really. And after one single use they usually end up in the garbage. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s what handkerchiefs  have in common with all the other hygiene papers (yes, this word actually exists!) that we all use on a large scale every day. Whether as kitchen roll or toilet paper, whether as paper handkerchief, cosmetic tissue or napkin. Once used, tissue paper then goes into the sewerage system or household waste. And thus, they are lost for recycling in the paper cycle.

“Wipe and go”. And there is another tree to disappear.

Every fifth tree felled in the world ends up in paper production. And if you just look at the wood that is used for industrial purposes, and leave out the firewood, every second tree becomes a paper product. So, definitely a lot of wood.

Hygienic papers account for “only” 10% of our total paper consumption, but – at the same time – we actually consume them en masse in Germany. And the trend is rising. On average, in 2016 each of us consumed more than 19 kilograms of hygienic paper a year. This is an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2004.

At the same time, more and more of these tissue papers are made from high-quality fresh fibres. This is because the proportion of recovered paper used in the production of these hygiene papers fell from 75% to 50%. In order to satisfy the high demand for the German market, more and more paper fibres for the German market are being imported from South America, including paper fibres from ecologically controversial plantations. No matter where the trees for our paper are felled: the shortage of wood in one region, for example Scandinavia, only leads to increased pressure in another region.

Guide through the forest: The Blue Angel

The German „Verbraucherzentrale“ (=consumer advice centre) recommends paying particular attention to the raw materials when buying hygienic paper. This is especially because the fibres are lost for the paper cycle after a single use.
However, those consumers who actually look out for environmentally friendly products when shopping, are confronted with numerous logos that are actually not all equally “good”. One or the other is rather a more or less “painted green“.

Actually very helpful, and therefore strongly recommended, is the „Blauer Engel“ (=”Blue Angel“). The “Blue Angel” is the oldest eco-label in the world, and it is regularly updated by the Federal Environment Agency with experts, according to high standards. So, this is a seal with particularly “hard” criteria, and it is therefore a good signpost, even when it comes to deciding on (hygiene) paper. Namely:

+ 100% recovered paper, including at least 65% lower and medium grades of recovered paper.
+ No use of chlorine, optical brighteners, halogenated bleaching agents or other chemicals.
+ The final products must meet the highest quality requirements, comparable to an equivalent high quality product made of fresh fibres.

On the Blauer-Engel-website blauer-engel.de there is also a current list of all imaginable recommendable products from the category “paper”: from kitchen paper and napkins, to toilet paper, handkerchiefs or cosmetic tissues, and printer paper, to name just a few of our everyday companions. By the way, these alternatives are not more expensive than conventional products.

You decide

As always, it’s up to you. Recycled paper products are very easy to find, and these recycled paper alternatives are available in “normal” stores, supermarkets or drugstores. Well, actually quite simple. And very appropriate. Not only for the „runny nose“ because you have catched a cold. And – in consequence – that might even save a couple of trees. Get healthy and well through autumn and winter.