Georgia-Pacific toilet paper brand Quilted Northern has dropped the plastic packaging from some of its products, switching to a recyclable paper wrapping.

The change, in response to consumer feedback, aims to cut back on plastic pollution. But while plastic-focused environmental groups are praising the move, others are calling it a distraction from the main impact of the tissue industry: deforestation.

“People are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their plastic waste,” Amanda Gage-Cole, vp and general manager for Quilted Northern, told Adweek. “[That] really drove us to explore different ways that we could actually reduce or eliminate our flexible film.”

A three-year journey

While Quilted Northern’s paper package was quietly launched in May for six-roll packs in stores and larger packs on Amazon, the journey began three years ago.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, Quilted Northern asked people to open their homes to the brand—via video call, of course. Consumers walked researchers around their homes, explaining the sustainability practices they had built into their daily lives.

Unlike plastic bottles, paper or cardboard, the plastic film that Quilted Northern uses to package its toilet paper isn’t recyclable in curbside bins. Instead, people have to drop off the film at grocery stores or other locations—something that only 2-5% of people do, according to the brand’s research. Many end up tossing the plastic film into the curbside bin anyway, unaware that the material can clog and damage machinery at sorting facilities.

“These plastic wraps cause harmful contamination in curbside bins and often end up as pollution,” Jan Dell, founder of plastic-focused environmental action group Last Beach Cleanup, told Adweek. “There are so many recyclable symbols on the wrapper, it is no wonder that consumers are confused.”

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