We’ve all been there. Whether you have that cold that won’t quit, you’re finishing Love Story, or watching Sarah McLachlan in the ASPCA video, we’ve all needed endless amounts of tissues. These are normally used once and are immediately thrown in the garbage can, never to be seen again. Americans use upwards of 262 billion disposable facial tissues per year. 

What to be wise on:

Materials: we love bamboo (make sure it’s FSC-certified), post-consumer recycled, or made from agricultural residue.

Packaging: Cardboard is preferable to the smaller plastic tissue packaging, but only if you remember to recycle that cardboard when you’re finished.

Additives: Various brands offer incredibly soft tissue without adding lotion - look out for those instead of the ones with lotion, which can clog your pores. 

The factors to consider:    

If you’re sick, we recommend tissues for sanitary purposes despite their negative environmental implications. When you’re crying for a brief period of time, we recommend trying out a reusable handkerchief and throwing it in the wash with your linens.

A few takeaways: 

 Paper plants are almost always located on a body of water, using copious amounts of water and electricity, emitting pollution in the air, and emptying some pretty nasty stuff into the nearest waterways. This is nearly impossible to avoid when buying tissues.