As we head into the deepest months of winter, we eco-conscious Kiwis are faced
with a tough choice: tissues or hankies?
As we head into the deepest months of winter, we eco-conscious Kiwis are faced
with a tough choice: tissues or hankies?
Okay, it’s obvious:
hankies are
the more ecofriendly
choice.
They’re reusable,
they’re not made from dead
trees and they don’t contribute
to landfills. But it’s a bit more
complicated than that.
Hankies are not
always practical and their
environmental record isn’t
perfect either. Pesticides are
used on many cotton crops, and
bleaching and dyeing processes
carry an environmental impact.
Not everyone wants to carry
a snotty rag in their pocket
during flu-season, and they
might have the right idea. The
Ministry of Health recommends
using disposable tissues
instead of hankies if you have a
cold or the flu, to help minimise
the spread of infection.
But tissues have issues.
Some tissue manufacturers
have relied on virgin and
non-certified forests for pulp.
Even worse, some have used
so-called ‘controversially
sourced’ pulp, which comes
from illegally logged timber,
forests of high conservation
value or areas where the
rights of indigenous peoples
are being violated. Between
2004 and 2009 the Kimberly-
Clark corporation, producer
of Kleenex tissues and other
paper-based products like
Huggies, was targeted
by Greenpeace’s Kleercut
campaign because of its use
of ancient virgin forests and
other unsustainably managed
sources.
With credibility issues like
that, it’s hard to imagine ever
wanting to use a tissue again.
But tissue manufacturers are
making progress. SCA, which
makes Sorbent tissues and
Purex toilet paper, has used
Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) certified raw materials
since 1999. The company says
it “strongly opposes” the use
of controversially sourced pulp
and can verify that none of its
products contain it. And thanks
to the Kleercut campaign,
Kimberly-Clark is changing
its practices to source fibre
only from certified forests. In
Australia and New Zealand,
80 percent of its fibre now
comes from the Programme
for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC) forests.
However, both companies
still rely on virgin, rather than
recycled, pulp.
So, what to do? For
everyday sniffles, allergies
or teary occasions, a hankie
is a good, environmentally
friendly option. We recommend
searching out hankies made
from organic cotton (we like
those at hankandcheef.com and
www.rawganique.com), raiding
your grandad’s stash, or making
your own from old, soft t-shirts.
There’s plenty of advice for DIY
hankies online; a quick Google
search will sort you out.
To keep hankies separate
from the rest of your gear,
store them in a removable
cloth pocket in your handbag
(another easy sewing project).
Stop the spread of bugs
by putting your hankies in the
washing basket at the end of
the day. You can throw lightly
used hankies straight in the
wash without pre-rinsing, but
soaking them in hot water and
hanging them in the sun to dry
will help kill germs.
If you have a cold or the
flu, switch to tissues. We’d
go for the Sorbent brand,
because SCA seems to have
a more genuine and longstanding
commitment to
sustainably sourced pulp than
the manufacturer of Kleenex.
If you want to avoid the major
brands altogether, hunt for
the 100 percent recycled facial
tissue made by Natural Value,
stocked at some whole foods
supermarkets.
Lynda Brendish
