The non-profit research group evaluated dozens of brands of toilet paper, facial tissue, paper, towels and napkins according to three criteria:

1) How much recycled content they contained – using 100% recycled content helps protect forests because it significantly reduces the demand for trees, especially trees coming from native forests.

2) How much of that was post-consumer waste – to get the top ranking, at least 50% post-consumer waste needed to be used in manufacturing the product.

3) How the paper was bleached – the top-ranked products are not bleached using chlorine, which can create the toxic byproduct dioxin.

According to Greenpeace, Americans could save more than 400,000 trees if each family bought a roll of recycled toilet paper—just once.

The group has produced a pocket guide you can use when you shop to buy the most eco-friendly option.

Brands that ranked high on the Greenpeace list include:

* Green Forest

* 365 Whole Planet (available at Whole Foods)

* CVS Earth Essentials

* Seventh Generation

* Trader Joe’s

* Cascades

Of course, when it comes to napkins and towels, use cloth, and avoid the paper debate altogether.

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Everything – apart from a few bananas – comes wrapped in excessive plastic or paper. What gives? On a recent shopping trip there, all the fresh produce seemed to be hermetically sealed: one barrel was full of pairs of zucchini trapped on small polystyrene trays bundled in plastic. Another featured pairs of apples similarly presented. Elsewhere, the store was selling oversized boxes of organic tea bags – the tea bag was the same size, but it was encased in a large cellophane wrapper, then packed in a box that seemed to be 30% bigger than the standard size. Is that ok because the tea is organic?

Trader Joe’s offers a good selection of organic milk, eggs and butter. Its cleaning products minimize dangerous chemicals. And it sells many of these choices at reasonable prices. But the company does itself and its customers a disservice, especially in these lean and green times, by not reducing the packaging used to sell its products.

Maybe next time I’m there, I’ll just unwrap all the overpacked goods and leave the waste at the cash register.

Thumbs down, Trader Joe’s.

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Some manufacturers claim phosphates help get dishes cleaner. In tests conducted by Consumer Reports, it appears that enzymes actually pack the cleaning punch in the most effective dishwashing detergents.

These four phosphate-free, enzyme-containing brands were tested by Consumer Reports; all performed well.

You can find Seventh Generation, Ecover and Method in most Whole Foods stores; Method products are also available in Target. Trader Joe’s products are sold exclusively at Trader Joe’s stores. If you don’t see any of these brands where your regularly shop, you have a few other options:

* order online

*ask your store manager to order the brand into the store for you

*read labels of two or three brands you’re inclined to buy from what’s on the shelf; choose the option with the lowest phosphorus content.

Seventh Generation

Trader Joe’s

Ecover

Method

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