A splash of coffee on the counter. A smear of mustard on the floor. A mysterious puddle left by the dog. In kitchens all over the world, the reaction is the same: a fast grab for a paper towel. 

Kitchen rolls are a household staple —  ready to absorb, wipe, and scrub at a moment’s notice. But have you ever considered what those absorbent paper towels are made of? 

To answer that question, we must start at the source. From the forest to the final product, find out what you need to know about conventional kitchen paper products and their environmental impact. 

The journey from tree to kitchen roll

Traditional paper towels start their lives as trees. Specifically, they’re made from virgin wood pulp, which means the fibres are coming directly from harvested forests. 

Manufacturers often create a blend of fibres to get the perfect balance of clean-up features. They use hardwood trees like oak and maple for their shorter fibres to create a softer, smoother paper. Then, they mix in softwood trees like pine and fir to provide strength and durability with their longer fibres. 

To summarise: your trusty kitchen paper is a carefully engineered cocktail of different trees.

How are paper towels manufactured? 

Turning trees into a roll of paper towels requires numerous resources and multiple processing steps, similar to the production and energy needs of conventional toilet paper. 

1. Harvesting and chipping

It all begins with logging. Mills transport the harvested trees, debarking and smashing them into small wood chips.

2. Pulping

Next, they cook these wood chips under immense pressure with chemical solutions to separate the wood into individual cellulose fibres. This creates a thick, oatmeal-like slurry called wood pulp.

3. Washing and bleaching

Manufacturers wash the pulp to remove the cooking chemicals and any remaining lignin (a natural glue that holds wood fibres together). Then, to get that pristine white colour, they bleach the pulp fibres. 

4. Creating the sheet

A machine sprays the watery pulp mixture onto massive mesh screens. As the water drains away, the fibres lock together to form a delicate sheet. This sheet is then pressed, dried over enormous heated cylinders, and embossed with a textured pattern — those little divots and designs that help with absorbency.

5. Rolling and packaging

Finally, the huge, continuous sheets of paper are glued together, rolled onto cardboard tubes, cut into individual kitchen rolls and wrapped up for the supermarket shelf.

What are the other ingredients in paper towels?

As you can see, it takes more than just wood and water to make your average paper towel. Let’s look at some of the other additives that make their way into the mix.

Do paper towels have glue in them?

Yes, they do. For 2 ply paper towels, manufacturers use a laminating adhesive to bond the two layers together. This ensures they don’t separate while you’re scrubbing away at a tough mess. While these glues are generally considered safe for food, it’s still an added ingredient you might not have expected.

What are paper towels coated with?

To give paper towels their signature "wet strength," manufacturers add special chemicals called resins and binders. These additives are the reason a paper towel doesn't immediately disintegrate into a soggy mess when it gets wet, unlike a facial tissue.

What about bleach and other chemicals?

The white colour of paper towels comes from bleaching processes. The paper industry standard is elemental chlorine-free (ECF), resulting in significantly less harm to people and the environment compared to chlorine gas. 

However, some of the resins used to create wetness durability use formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and skin irritant. Always check the product labels and ingredients before you buy. 

If you're looking to avoid unnecessary chemicals, get to know the chlorine free processes used in toilet paper, paper towel and facial tissue production. 

The environmental cost of kitchen towels

Every quick, convenient wipe comes with a hefty environmental price tag. The reliance on virgin forests for traditional paper towels contributes to deforestation, harming vital ecosystems and wildlife habitats.

The manufacturing process itself is incredibly resource-intensive, consuming vast amounts of water and energy. And finally, the chemicals used in the pulping and bleaching stages can sometimes seep into waterways, impacting aquatic life. 

That’s a lot of impact for a product designed to be used once and then tossed in the trash. 

A better way to wipe up spills

The great news is that there are amazing eco-friendly alternatives that clean up messes without creating one for the planet.

Reusable kitchen towels

For many household tasks, you can ditch the single-use sheet altogether. A reusable and washable option — like our plant based Dream Cloths — makes tackling spills and cleaning activities easy. 

No gross smells, germy sponges or residues. Bonus: at the end of their long life, these babies are compostable. 

Recycled paper towels

When you use eco-friendly, recycled paper towels, you’re helping to reduce landfill waste without compromising kitchen cleanliness. These recycled kitchen rolls are made from post-consumer recycled fibres, meaning no new trees are harmed. 

And if you think choosing recycled means compromising on quality, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised. 

Recycled paper towels are designed to be just as strong and absorbent as their virgin pulp counterparts. They’re engineered to handle major spills and tough messes so you get the same convenient cleaning power, but with a much kinder footprint.

Bamboo kitchen rolls

Bamboo is a type of grass that grows incredibly quickly, making it a highly renewable resource. It creates a paper towel that is strong, absorbent and soft on surfaces.

For our friends in Australia, bamboo kitchen rolls are an excellent companion to a bamboo or recycled toilet paper subscription. 

Conclusion — Cleaning up your kitchen’s carbon footprint

An everyday pack of paper towels goes through some intricate manufacturing processes before it reaches your home. Conventional wood fibre rolls are made from a blend of trees, glues, and chemical additives, with a significant environmental footprint to match. 

Now that you know what kitchen rolls are made of, you have the power to choose a better product. Opting for sustainable alternatives is a simple yet effective way to minimise your household's environmental impact. 

Because Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of profits, shopping with us also supports global sanitation initiatives. 

Superior absorbency and durability. ✅

Planet-friendly fibres. ✅

Making a difference with every purchase. ✅

Care to check eco-friendly paper towels off your grocery list? Head to our kitchen collection to clean spills with confidence.