The vast majority of toilet paper manufacturers are either directly involved with animal testing or at the very least associated with parent companies that must be prepared to conduct tests on animals in compliance with local regulations.
Numerous toilet paper brands are produced by companies that are still prepared to take part in some form of animal testing when the law requires it.
While many of these companies will agree with the principle of being cruelty-free, the economic climate simply does not allow them to adhere to those principles all of the time.
Luckily, vegan options are also available for people who care much about the subject. In this article, we explore all sides of the animal testing spectrum.
Do Toilet Paper Companies Still Engage In Animal Testing?
Yes, numerous toilet paper brands are produced by companies that are still prepared to take part in some form of animal testing when the law requires it.
So, even if those companies strive to be cruelty-free (many of them achieve the targets they set too), some vital global markets require animal testing by law. A glaring example would be a country like China.
Beyond animal testing, some companies simply cannot afford to produce toilet paper without using animal ingredients. Even when they avoid direct animal cruelty here, their products impact nature and the environment.
If companies wish to conduct their business in China, for example, they will have to comply with the animal testing regulations of that region.
There are no ands, ors, buts, or maybes about it: China, with a population of more than 1.4 billion people, is a market that has become increasingly difficult for any prominent multi-national corporation to ignore.
Charmin And Animal Testing
Charmin is a 94-year-old toilet brand that is currently owned by consumer giant Procter & Gamble.
While Charmin’s owner company, Procter & Gamble, has clearly committed itself to being a cruelty-free company, they have conveniently left a loophole for themselves if they are ever legally required to test on animals by law.
Scott Paper Company And Animal Testing
The Scott Paper Company is associated with numerous tissue brands on the market, including Cottonelle toilet paper. Consumer giant Kimberly-Clark owns the Scott Paper Company and the Cottonelle brand.
Like Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark commits itself to not testing on animals for any of its products. However, their policy clearly indicates that they are prepared to do so if any legal authority ever requires them. It is all in the clever wording.
Angel Soft And Animal Testing
Angel Soft toilet paper is produced by pulp and paper giant Georgia-Pacific. For a company like that, there are more aspects to interrogate there than just product testing on animals. There is also the small matter of the impact toilet paper manufacturing has on the environment.
Whatever the official line might be at Georgia-Pacific, the company has been linked to animal testing in the past, and there is no telling how prepared they might be to go down that path again if a situation demands it—or even if it doesn’t.
Other toilet paper and tissue companies that are directly associated with Georgia-Pacific include Quilted Northern and Aria.
Does Toilet Paper Contain Animal Products?
Yes, numerous toilet brands are still made primarily from animal ingredients. The most common ones are gelatin and animal fat, which act as binding agents during manufacturing.
Just because those ingredients are used to make toilet paper does not necessarily mean that there has been some form of animal cruelty involved in manufacturing those toilet paper products, though.
In many instances, the animal ingredients used to make the toilet paper are not directly sourced. In some cases, the inclusion of those animal ingredients is not even intentional (or so claim those major companies that make toilet paper).
The producers of Charmin openly admit that animal ingredients are likely to be included in the manufacture of their personal care products.
Likewise, the Scott Paper Company acknowledges that it never made any of its paper products with vegan considerations in mind.
The makers of Angel Soft, Quilted Northern, and Aria claim they have other adhesive solutions for their toilet products and distance themselves from using any animal ingredients in their tissues.
Is Toilet Paper Cruelty-Free?
Yes, some toilet paper products claim to be cruelty-free, with scant evidence proving otherwise. These include Who Gives A Crap, Earth Friendly Bathroom Tissue, Hybrid Bath Tissue, Seventh Generation, and Kruger.
Who Gives A Crap Toilet Paper Products
Who Gives A Crap distances itself from virgin trees, animal ingredients, or any form of animal testing. Who Gives A Crap is one of the few toilet paper brands that genuinely qualify as vegan.
It is also worth noting that Who Gives A Crap claims to be gluten-free and uses soy-based ink for all of its packaging needs.
Earth Friendly Bathroom Tissue
Earth Friendly ECOS toilet paper is only made from bamboo, recycled material, and sugarcane waste, making it 100 percent vegan. The climate, animals, and environment are at the forefront of this manufacturer’s thinking in every way.
Hybrid Bath Tissue
The manufacturers of Hybrid Bath tissue distance themselves entirely from animal-derived products and any form of animal testing.
Hybrid Bath Tissue is also made of bamboo and recycled pulp, which means there is also a tremendous emphasis on the environment that animals live in, and not just the animals themselves.
Seventh Generation is also associated with the parent company Unilever, which has actively campaigned for alternatives to animal testing for about four decades now. Of all the major global corporations, there has probably been no bigger champion of this cause.
Conclusion
Many traditional brands like Charmin, Cottonelle, and Angel Soft unfortunately test their products on animals or have to be ready to do so in order to comply with global markets.
If you’re looking for a more animal-friendly option, try Who Gives A Crap, Seventh Generation, or Earth Friendly ECOS bathroom tissue.
