• Paper Napkins 30 percent postconsumer content;

• Facial Tissue, 10 percent postconsumer content.

Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) — Many paper manufacturers use chlorine derivatives to bleach paper. Byproducts from this bleaching process create organochlorines, which contain hazardous substances that can act as endocrine disruptors when released into the environment.

Products can be bleached in processes that whiten them with chlorine free chemicals.

Recycled papers bleached with chlorine free processes are sometimes described as being “Processed Chlorine Free” (PCF) because, while the papers are manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives, the fibers in the recycled pulp may have been originally bleached with chlorine.

For information on Cooperative Purchasing Opportunities for Buying PCF and dioxin-free paper, Go to dioxin.abag.ca.gov and click on “Final Report and Project Materials.”

Unbleached — Another alternative is to simply not bleach the products. Personal hygiene papers such as bathroom tissue, facial tissue and sanitary products do not need to be bright white for use. Unbleached products are either brown in color or, if high in recycled content, off-white.

Look for unbleached, natural color and processed chlorine free (PCF) paper alternatives. Brightness, price and suitability for PCF products are comparable to products bleached with standard chlorine-derived processes.

Many janitorial products list their environmentally preferable qualities, but some don’t. Some brands also make many different products, some with recycled content and some without. Ask specifically for the highest postconsumer recycled content available.

• Buy jumbo rolls — Reduces packaging; more can be packed in a carton, reduces labor costs, and people tend to use less.

• Buy in bulk, saving purchasing dollars and packaging waste.

• Buy cooperatively — Check the “Guide to Purchasing Recycled Products Cooperatively.”

• Paper towels vs. other options — evaluate the cost/benefit to your workplace of using air dryers or cloth towels.

• Consider not using paper seat covers.

Green Seal, an independent non-profit product standards and certification program, offers this example of specifications for tissue paper: Product must be made in accordance with reasonable industry practice with respect to holes, tears, wrinkles, cleanliness, foreign materials or dirt. It must have no disagreeable odor, either wet or dry, in accordance with reasonable industry practice. Edges of the product must be cleanly cut and not ragged.

Product must dispense properly from the box or fixture. Each roll of bathroom tissue must contain at least 40 square feet of product (equivalent to approximately 300 x 4.5 x 4.4 inch sheets). Each box of facial tissue must contain at least 70 square feet of product (equivalent to approximately 175 x 8.0 x 8.0 inch sheets).

Examples of standards for products are offered below:

• Bathroom Tissue: the fiber in bathroom tissue shall contain at least 20 percent postconsumer materials.

• Facial Tissue: the fiber in facial tissue shall contain at least 10 percent postconsumer materials.

• Paper Towels: the fiber in paper towels shall contain at least 40 percent postconsumer materials.

• Paper Napkins: the fiber in paper napkins shall contain at least 30 percent postconsumer materials.

• Postconsumer Content: the postconsumer content of a product shall be determined by measuring the average product fiber utilization over a period of no longer than three months.

• De-inking of Recovered Paper: recovered paper shall not be de-inked using a solvent containing chlorine, or any chemicals listed by the EPA under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right To Know Act.

• Bleaching: Chlorine and its derivatives shall not be used.

• Additional Ingredients: the product (not including packaging) shall not contain any added pigments, inks, dyes or fragrances.

Changing products and purchasing practices can take time.

Businesses and governments that buy more environmentally friendly products have found that including those who use the products in the decision-making process and starting with pilot programs, testing one or two products at a time in specific applications, helped make it easier.

The City of Fremont tested two brands of recycled paper towels in one building before making any changes. The building manager was concerned about quality, performance and “client” satisfaction.

The two brands of towels were chosen from a list of a half dozen and the price, an overriding criteria, was comparable.

At the end of the test period, one towel clearly out-performed the other. The test was a success and useful in obtaining what the manager wanted — happy customers and a paper towel that cost less than the non-recycled brand.

Remember, when you consider environmental attributes in purchasing decisions, you are helping save money, creating a safer and healthier environment and workplace, and closing the recycling loop by buying products made from the papers collected from office recycling programs.

About one-third of the tissue market represents “Away From Home,” in commercial and industrial settings such as office and government buildings, hotels, schools, airports, amusement parks, hospitals, and highway rest stops.

Most away-from-home (AfH) tissue products are bought by building owners, institutions and janitorial services directly from distributors (including some of the same ones that distribute printing and writing papers). The products are usually bulk-packaged and often tied to marketing specialized dispensers that encourage brand loyalty.

Competition usually revolves around price, compatibility with dispensers, and ease of replenishment. Increasingly, government agencies, university campuses, school systems and hospitals, among others, are specifying recycled content tissue and towels. In fact, the U.S. federal government requires that any tissue products bought with its funds, either by its agencies or by contractors, grantees or any other federally-funded purchasers, follow EPA guidelines.

Away-from-home tissue products meet this growing environmental market by including at least some (often high) recycled content in more than 70 percent of its tissue options. In fact, most of the mills that make Away From Home tissue products are capable of using recycled fiber.

Recycled content is a priority for environmentally preferable Away From Home tissue products, but reducing use is even better for the environment. ❑