by Shane Henson — January 18, 2013—Cascades Tissue Group, a major North American manufacturer of tissue paper and part of Cascades Inc., announced that its entire line of Cascades and North River commercial and industrial towel and tissue products have achieved recertification under the GS-1 Green Seal Standard for Sanitary Paper Products for their sustainability and environmental friendliness.
With this latest development, Cascades now possesses the largest offering of Green Seal-certified towel and tissue products throughout North America today, claims the company. The recertification encompasses 114 branded products, all made from 100 percent recycled fiber, and includes paper hand towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, facial tissues and various types of wipers.
The standard was first established more than 20 years ago for products such as bathroom tissue, facial tissue, paper towels, napkins, wipes and placemats. Overall, it sets the environmental, health, and social requirements for sanitary paper products and comprehensively addresses environmental life-cycle issues spanning raw materials, manufacturing, packaging and product use and performance.
In September 2011, Green Seal made major revisions to its GS-1 standard, notes Cascades Tissue Group. The revised GS-1 standard provides more stringent criteria such as increasing the amount of post-consumer material required by an average of 25 percent, monitoring air and wastewater quality, and expanding product performance and packaging requirements. Products must also adhere to strict requirements related to qualities like weight, strength, absorbency and sheet count and size.
