As sustainably minded consumers, we choose products that reflect our respect for the environment and quest for sustainability. Ecofriendly goods that contain the greatest majority of recycled materials are favored. Plastic water bottles are replaced by reusable aluminum bottles--plastic bags by canvas bags. We demand our newspapers and magazines be printed on recycled paper. But an article in the New York Times shows there’s at least one environmentally harmful product we are overlooking: toilet paper. As a society, our desire to use only the softest, fluffiest toilet paper is causing the destruction of once plentiful old-growth forests.

25-50% of tree pulp used to make toilet paper is taken from tree farms in South America and the U.S. But, according to the New York Times article, the rest is taken from second-growth forests and the last virgin North American forests. These forests aren’t just needed to trap carbon emissions and control climate change, but also serve as “irreplaceable habitats for a variety of endangered species.”

Make no mistake: toilet paper from old-growth forests is soft and plush and fluffy—just like that little teddy bear in the Charmin Ultra ads. Ecofriendly toilet paper made from recycled fibers can’t compete with the softness offered up by virgin tree pulp. It’s rougher, there’s no getting around it. But does soft toilet paper, that’s used once and flushed away, justify the clearing of precious forests and habitats crucial to our ecosystem?

As I see it, the problem isn’t that toilet paper made from recycled fibers isn’t soft enough, but that the difference in softness outweighs the devastation of treasured natural resources such as old-growth forests. Our overall mentality seems to be that if it’s easy, convenient, and doesn’t cause a significant difference in our lives or comfort level, then recycled goods are great. But when it comes to products that directly affect our personal comfort, such as toilet paper, we think differently. A study by Greenpeace showed that even consumers who are environmentally conscious are reluctant to purchase recycled toilet paper.

The progress we have made as consumers and businesses to be sustainable and eco-friendly is impressive, no doubt. We’re making gains every day and should be proud of that. But maybe it’s time to understand change may mean we can’t retain all of the indulgent luxuries we’ve become accustomed to. Perhaps it’s time to also start making changes in areas that require sacrifice. Replacing a luxury like soft toilet paper made from tree pulp with toilet paper made from recycled fibers would be of substantial benefit to the environment. It won’t feel quite as good on our behinds, but the fact that we’re saving old-growth trees and forest species will no doubt give us substantially more warm fuzzies than the Charmin teddy bear ever could.

Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and waste expert with the Natural Resource Defense Council, said it best: “No forest of any kind should be used to make toilet paper.”

Find out more about recycled tissue and toilet paper and how to choose a brand with the Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide by Greenpeace. Then share it with friends in your green social networks – chances are, they have no idea their toilet paper may be coming from a centuries old tree stand in Washington State.