Among the many Costco products that are worth buying, few would argue against the convenience of those giant packages of toilet paper. A bale of Kirkland rolls may fill half your cart, but many consumers find them to be a useful addition to the pantry in order to avoid last-minute trips to the grocery store for some 2-ply. Costco’s brand is also on the cheaper end of toilet paper, at about 21 cents per 100 sheets, compared with over 40 cents per 100 sheets for top brands like Charmin and Quilted Northern. But to meet high consumer demand (over one billion rolls sold each year), Costco isn’t churning out TP in its own big toilet paper factory somewhere. They buy their paper from well-known manufacturers who are known for supplying other top toilet paper brands.
Costco gets its bath tissue from big companies like Georgia-Pacific, which also makes bargain-priced Angel Soft and higher-end Quilted Northern. Other suppliers include Clearwater Paper, Procter and Gamble, and several smaller paper products companies within and outside of the U.S. Different Costco locations may carry TP from different suppliers, or even a mix of suppliers, and these can change over time. This may be why there have been conversations on social media platforms like Facebook and Reddit with consumers lamenting perceived changes in Kirkland-brand toilet paper quality over the years.
Read more: 5 Budget-Friendly Toilet Paper Storage Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Of Sooner
Quality and sustainability questions
Three toilet paper rolls stacked atop a toilet in a blue bathroom. – Davizro Photography/Shutterstock
Despite its popularity and sourcing from well-known TP producers, Costco isn’t selling the premium stuff. Consumer Reports tested popular toilet papers in 2025 and described Kirkland brand as comparatively “cheap and linty.” A reviewer in Canada’s The Globe and Mail called Kirkland TP “a hard pass.” Furthermore, Costco’s brand may not be your go-to bath tissue if you are interested in going green.
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Kirkland toilet paper is not made from 100% recycled fibers, and that may be a concern for many consumers looking to make their homes more sustainable. The packages of Costco’s toilet paper state that they are “certified FSC mix”, which is a label from the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization that develops sustainability certifications for forestry operations around the world. FSC mix is their lowest level of sustainability labeling, meaning the TP comes from a mix of sustainable forests and recycled wood, but also from wood that isn’t from sustainably certified forests. The Natural Resources Defense Council actually gives Kirkland TP an “F” on its toilet paper sustainability scorecard, grading brands like 100% recycled Seventh Generation and Green Forest much higher. Still, it’s hard to beat the bulk convenience and price of Kirkland TP, and it remains a best-selling item for the club. But knowing where your products come from is an important step in making educated choices about the price, quality, and sustainability of products for your home.
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Read the original article on Hunker.
