Marcal Paper Products Review
Marcal is an “Earth-Friendly Paper Goods Company” that strives to provide quality recycled paper products at an affordable price. Marcal uses 100% recycled paper to make all their products, saving millions of trees from being cut down every year.
What Makes Marcal Different?
For over 60 years, Marcal has been providing recycled products. Though their brand name has changed names over the years, their products have remained as strong and environmentally friendly from the beginning. I really like their saying:
By purchasing Small Steps by Marcal brand, you are taking a small, easy step to a greener earth.
Marcal separates itself from the normal paper products on the market by providing only post consumer recycled paper in their products. Many of the major paper companies use virgin paper, with only a small percentage coming from sustainable forests. There are also no harmful chemicals and have refined their process to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.
The company also is ahead of many of the other paper companies using recycled products. While there are many products using recycled paper, Marcal uses only a large portion of post consumer recycled paper in all of their products. There products also are far cheaper and can be found in many local grocery stores around the country. You may be surprised, but their prices are even cheaper than the major brands.
Want to know how Marcal makes their products, check out the great in-depth look into their manufacturing process or check out this great video:
My Review
My main criteria for paper products many years ago was that it was soft to the touch and held up strong. After realizing how much of a waste most paper products were, I switched over to recycled products. The main frustration with many of those products is that they are not durable at all or were almost twice as expensive. I found Marcal not too long ago and have yet to be disappointed. Here are the products I have tried and my feeling about each.
Toilet Paper
Marcal’s does a great job with their toilet paper. Whether it’s one or two ply, they both are great. They are much softer and more durable than most other brands.
Paper Towels
I always try to use reused clothes to handle most of the cleanup jobs in the kitchen. There are time that I do need to use a paper towel and have found Marcal to be great. Their paper towels are extremely durable for a recycle paper towel. They aren’t soft, but who cares when dealing with a paper towel.
Napkins
When it comes to napkins, Marcal feels exactly the same and works just as well as many other napkins on the market. I can’t even think how other companies justify their napkins not being made from recycled paper when they seem like the same product. They also have dinner napkins for special occasions or parties.
Tissues
Their tissues don’t contain lotions or are extremely soft, but they get the job done. If you want a softer product, stick with an old-fashion handkerchief.
Final Thoughts
Marcal has done a great job to make their products as environmentally friendly, yet affordable as possible. If you are in the market for paper products, give Marcal a try and you won’t be disappointed.
Comments
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February 5th, 2010Trackback from : Friday Green Links – 2/12 « Pragmatic Environmentalism
Great to hear! I haven’t seen this product at my local grocery store just yet but once I do, I’ll be sure to try it! Just a couple posts earlier we were talking about how wasteful it is to use paper towels but this seems a lot more eco friendly.
I have seen them often see them at my local Super Fresh stores, but you could check out their site to find a store in your area that carries Marcal products: http://www.marcalpaper.com/findstore.html
I’m right there with you on being green and “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle”. Have been for a long time. But “If you want a softer product, stick with an old-fashion handkerchief.”
That’s pretty condescending.
Get over yourself…
I in no way intended that to be condescending. All I meant in my statement is that if you want a soft product, try using a handkerchief instead of tissues that required trees from old forests to be cut down.
Scott has also come out with a great line of recycled paper products. They are widely available and work really well.
Perhaps a good thing for all of us to keep in mind is the industry-relative standards. Paper companies have a very intense environmental record ranging from demolishing streams to toxic dumping.
I used to vet companies that made environmental claims, and Marcal, although a spotty manufacturing record, is significantly better than the other large manufacturers of paper products. That is not to say that they don’t have a long way to go, but if you choose to use paper products, try to find ethical sources. I am yet to find a paper company with a perfect or even “good” record, so they are still towards the top of my list. That said, I am disappointed to hear about the situation in New Jersey.
Good things to check for are post-consumer content higher than 30%. This is truly a bare minimum for companies to make post-consumer financially possible, so if it is anything lower, the claim is questionable.
As for seeing them in the supermarkets, Marcal used to only focus on wholesale distribution, so it may be a slow integration. Some online stores carry them in smaller amounts if you aren’t buying for a business.
Hope this helps clear up a few things
Thanks Tiffany for the great response. I totally agree that just because Marcal made some mistakes in the past, does not mean that they have not changed for the better since. They reached a settlement over 2 years ago: http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates/2007/07/marcal_epa_reach_settlement.html. It seems as though they have changed their ways over the past two years, but if anybody has more information on this topic, please feel free to comment.
They sell paper towels, bath tissues, facial tissues and napkins. I buy all these products and love them! Not only are they great products…but I also love the prices. Thanks for the review.
Till then,
Jean
Definitely I will give Marcal a try if I get it in the country I live. Next time I go shopping, I will try to see if I get paper goods from Marcal. It’s clear, this company is doing a great job, saving lots of trees used to produce paper. We’ll have a greener Earth for sure. Thanks for this post. Was great reading through.
Thanks for information about Marcal paper and benefits of it.
They are widely available and work really well
This is the same information Sam already provided. I appreciate you commenting on my site, but please provide references to back up your claims.
That is because Sam and Harry and the same person. I saw this exact post on another green site, just can’t think of which one I saw it on.