Product of the Week: Marcal Paper

Product of the Week:

Marcal paper products

What is it?
A line of responsible paper goods (napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.).



Marcal Paper Mills, Inc. is a fourth generation family owned(see below) company based out of New Jersey. They manufacture 100% recycled paper products, most with 30% or more post consumer content.

Why do I love it?
I try to live responsibly, but sometimes convenience weighs out over environmentalism: paper napkins instead of cloth, tissues instead of handkerchiefs. For the times when I do rely on disposable products, I want to have the peace of mind that some good is coming out of my weakness. :) I've found Marcal products to be high quality and very affordable -- without a high environmental price tag attached to them. And the fact that it's a family owned business is even better. *Marcal filed for Chapter 11 in 2006 and has been owned by Highland Capital Management since 2008. (Thank you for the heads up, anonymous commenter!)

We regularly uses their napkins, toilet paper and tissues. I find their products to be soft enough for everyday use and I love that the recycling process makes their tissues almost lint free--those of you who have ever tried to clean a pair of glasses with Kleenex brand tissues know what I'm talking about here.

A word on their paper towels: I used to buy them religiously. Recently, I've switched back to another brand, however. The Marcal paper towels are a bit on the flimsy side and I found I was having to use twice to three times as many to clean up the same spill I could tackle with a single Bounty sheet (for example). I'm still not sure I made the right decision--is one paper towel made from trees better or worse for the planet than three paper towels made from trash? But, there's my full disclosure, for what it's worth.

Where Can You Get It?
I can usually find their products at Shaw's and Stop and Shop (two of the three major grocery store chains in my area). You can also buy it on Amazon (even in bulk!) and, likely, other online retailers.

*Disclaimer: The content of Product of the Week is based solely on my opinions of the product(s) and is in no way meant to represent an endorsed or sponsored advertisement by the product manufacturer or any other company; nor is it meant to represent the findings of a research study, poll or other widespread fact gathering mission. This is how I feel based on my usage and/or knowledge of the featured product. If you’ve had a different experience with the featured product(s), feel free to say so respectfully in the comments.