For many, toilet paper is an everyday essential. The average German uses 134 rolls per year, only topped by the U.S. at 141 rolls. But this comfort comes with a price. Toilet paper production is not just resource-intensive, it's also harmful to the environment. Every year, millions of trees are felled to meet demand.

Did you know that making virgin toilet paper swallows a staggering amount of water?

Producing one tonne of tissue paper takes around 76,000 litres of water. Most of that comes down to one thing: separating the cellulose fibres from the wood is one of the most energy- and water-intensive steps in papermaking.

The wood fibres are broken down in chemical or mechanical processes and then bleached – another water-heavy step. These huge volumes of water put real strain on the environment, especially in regions already short of it. Paper is often sold as a natural product and an eco-friendly choice. But its production leans on large amounts of chemicals.

Every day, at least 27,000 trees are felled to make toilet paper. That kind of assault on nature has deep consequences for the environment. Forests aren't just home to countless plant and animal species – they play a crucial role in the carbon cycle. When trees come down, the carbon dioxide stored inside them is released, speeding up climate change. And it doesn't stop there: clearing forests causes soil erosion and degrades water quality.

There's another problem: the partly illegal logging behind paper products, which together with industrial wood processing has driven a dramatic decline in old-growth forests. Experts report that between 2000 and 2010, Indonesia lost twice as much forest to the pulp industry as it did to palm oil plantations.

One often-overlooked side of toilet paper's environmental toll is transport. The journey from raw material to finished product involves countless legs, each burning through serious amounts of energy and resources. Those emissions come mainly from the fossil fuels used to haul it over long distances.

Toilet paper adds heavily to the world's waste. Billions of rolls are used globally every year, each becoming rubbish the moment it's used once. Sending toilet paper to landfill produces methane, a major contributor to global warming. On top of that, the plastic packaging often used to keep it dry feeds the world's plastic pollution.

We see it exactly like Germany's NABU: „Valuable wood should be used responsibly – for nature and for people – primarily for long-lasting goods, not short-lived products like tissue paper and packaging.” Toilet paper's environmental impact is huge and wide-ranging. Production demands vast amounts of water and energy, and every year millions of trees are felled to meet global demand. These practices drive deforestation, release CO2 and accelerate climate change.

Faced with all this, it's high time to think about more sustainable alternatives. It's on us to make conscious choices and back greener options, to secure our planet's future.

1. Recycled toilet paper

Recycled toilet paper is already a solid start: according to the German Environment Agency, making recycled paper is far easier on resources than conventional white toilet paper. It uses only about half the energy, and between a seventh and a third of the water needed to produce conventional toilet paper.

2. The butt shower as an eco-friendly alternative

When it comes to longevity and cutting toilet paper use, the real winner is our butt shower. Unlike toilet paper, it isn't made for the bin, and it can cut toilet paper use by up to 100%.

The intimate shower has several upsides:

• Far fewer resources used
• Less waste
• Gentler on the skin
• Especially helpful for people with haemorrhoids, IBS or during menstruation

Instead of felling trees, we back forest regeneration – together with Eden Reforestation Projects we've already planted over 206,435 trees, locking in 63,643 tonnes of CO2 over the next 25 years.

By rethinking our hygiene routines and switching to more sustainable alternatives, we can make a real difference for the environment. Choosing the butt shower is a step toward a greener, more sustainable future – for us and the generations to come.