An industry trade group report from 2021 puts the recycling rate for plastic film at about 1.8%. Environmental groups argue that it’s closer to zero.
“Hopefully this will be the first step in shifting all of [Quilted Northern’s] product packaging away from plastic,” Judith Enck, former EPA regional administrator and current president of environmental group Beyond Plastics, told Adweek. “Unlike single-use plastic film, paper is recyclable, and it doesn’t last hundreds of years in the environment after a moment’s use.”
The forest-sized elephant in the room
But when it comes to the overall impact of Quilted Northern’s brand, plastic is only a tiny piece of the equation, noted Shelley Vinyard, boreal corporate campaign manager for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
“It’s a distraction from what Quilted Northern is actually made from, which is forest fiber,” Vinyard told Adweek.
Quilted Northern received an “F” grade on the NRDC’s annual Issue With Tissue report last year, which assesses paper product brands based on the sustainability and transparency of their supply chains. High-rated brands are made with 100% recycled content and offer detailed information regarding sourcing, while low-rated brands use virgin forest fiber or fail to share supply chain details.
The brand’s focus on plastic reflects consumer sentiment around sustainability, which often over-emphasizes the impact of plastic pollution on marine life and in landfills and under-emphasizes supply chain transparency and less tangible climate impacts, like far-off forests or coral reefs.
Despite its poor rating from the NRDC, Quilted Northern’s products are 100% certified by the Forest Stewardship Council—which is more than competitors like Procter & Gamble can say for its tissue products, which also received the lowest possible rating from the NRDC.
Quilted Northern pointed to Georgia-Pacific’s proprietary paper-making technology, which lowers energy and water use by 30%, according to Gage-Cole. In addition to its FSC certification, which requires Quilted Northern to plant one tree for each tree used, the brand has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant an additional two trees for each one used, she said.