March 2, 2009 — Greenpeace International is urging the United States to look more closely at its toilet paper manufacturing industry for its use of virgin material on something that is flushed after a few seconds of use, according to the news Web site AHN.

Specifically, AHN stated: "Lindsey Allen, forestry campaigner of the global environmental group, took to task Americans' preference for extra-soft, quilted, and multi-ply toilet paper made from virgin wood."

Meanwhile, AHN said, Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, warned of the enormous ecological consequences of sourcing toilet-paper materials from trees. “Americans' toilet-paper use is causing ecological damage worse than carbon dioxide emitting vehicles, fast foods' use of Styrofoam and the proliferation of McMansions,” AHN said Hershkowitz stated.

Hershkowitz also pointed out 98 percent of toilet paper sold in the United States is from virgin forest, while in Europe and Latin America, the rate is only 40 percent, AHN said.

The article also said that, according to Kimberly-Clark, luxury-brand toilet paper and tissues have the fastest-growing market share in the United States.

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