'Greener' roll saves you green

This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in June 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.

Our latest tests show that toilet paper made of recycled ingredients could help you save money as well as the planet. At just 8 cents per 100 sheets, Marcal's Small Steps was among the least costly, recycled or not. But don't expect top strength or softness.

When we did a full report on toilet paper (May 2009), our sensory panel found that all three recycled products in the test scored only mediocre for softness. But those products were reformulated before publication, so we did not include them in the Ratings. Instead, we did a follow-up on their successors. Marcal's Small Steps, a two-ply paper, is the softer, reformulated version of the Marcal 1000 and Marcal Sunrise.

We also tested Seventh Generation, another 100 percent recycled product that was similarly reformulated for softness. Overall, its scores were similar to Marcal's, and it costs a lot more at 21 cents per 100 sheets.

These greener rolls broke apart quickly in our disintegration tests, in which we immerse sheets of paper in swirling water. That's good news for homes with septic systems or paper-crazy kids. Sheets also tore off easily when we started a roll and usually peeled away without shredding. But both rolls were still only so-so when it came to softness. And both were mediocre in our wet-strength tests, in which we measured how much lead shot dampened sheets could hold before they broke.

Toilet-paper makers are trying to give other, nonrecycled rolls the soft touch that sells. We retested market leader Charmin Ultra Soft, which was also reformulated for softness. It was soft as well as relatively quick to disintegrate and easy to tear. But it proved no stronger than the recycled products we tested. And at 35 cents per 100 sheets, it's among the priciest toilet rolls on the shelf and not recycled.

Bottom line

Marcal's Small Steps is a good low-priced choice among recycled products. Among regular rolls, consider Kirkland Signature (Costco) and White Cloud (Walmart); both are CR Best Buys.