How to choose an eco-friendly toothbrush?

The toothbrush, an everyday object that we’ve had in our field of vision since birth (or almost), that we change every 3 months, that we choose with care for its color, shape, texture, ergonomics, the softness of its bristles…

We use 4 a year, which may not sound like much, but a family of 3 uses 12 brushes, and in Switzerland alone, that’s equivalent to throwing away 32 million toothbrushes a year. And yet!

What if it were simple to discover (and adopt) a sustainable alternative? Today, there are many ways to drive disposable plastic out of our bathrooms.

Bamboo toothbrushes

Let’s start with bamboo. Bamboo is considered a renewable resource, as it can grow up to 1m per day in optimal conditions (yes, that’s very fast!), without the need for special watering or fertilizers. Its anti-bacterial and rot-proof properties make it particularly suitable for this purpose.

As for the bristles, they are most often made from Nylon, sometimes even from Nylon-6.10, based on castor oil. However, these bristles are not compostable, and must be disposed of with other incinerable waste.

In Switzerland, brushes from the German brand Hydrophil and from MyBooa French brand offering some very nice ones with this type of castor-based nylon, whose bristle tips are colored to identify the user, with sizes for adults and child.

When the brush is out, remove the bristles or break the head, and compost the 100% biodegradable handle (to enrich the soil or to produce heat or electricity), or reuse it according to your desires and creativity – craft for the kids or marker for your little green plants!

But until further notice, bamboo doesn’t grow in Europe (yet), and if it comes from China, what about the carbon impact of these toothbrushes?

Beech toothbrush

A newcomer to the Swiss market, toothbrushes are now available in FSC-certified beechwood, sourced from forests in Toggenburg (St. Gallen region). You can even find them at the orange giant! Here, the carbon footprint is drastically reduced, even though beech wood grows more slowly than bamboo (around 50cm per year).

The family business Liebwerk which produces them, has engraved them to differentiate them – a deciduous tree, a conifer or a palm tree, representing the three different climatic zones of the planet. The vegetable wax-coated handle is very soft and the experience is really super pleasant.

On the other hand, the bristles are made of traditional Nylon, i.e. Nylon-6.12, a petroleum-derived polymer that is less environmentally friendly than Nylon made from castor oil, but the company is currently working on adapting this variant.

For the time being, Nylon-6.12 is particularly suitable for its hygienic properties and flexibility.

Current research in the textile industry is focusing on the creation of a “bionylon” based on glucose, a sugar derivative obtained from plants. The results are promising, and we look forward to seeing this material applied to many everyday objects and garments.

When your toothbrush is worn out, Liebwerk recommends breaking off the head rather than pulling out the bristles. In fact, there are little stainless steel hooks attached to their base, which are difficult to remove and could end up in the compost!

Recycled plastic toothbrushes

Another variant is the recycled plastic brush, where only the head is changed.

Bioseptyl offers a nice solution: dismantle the head and replace only 20% of the brush each time, inserting a new head.

Following the principles of thecircular economy, the brush itself is made from recycled PP (polypropylene), and the part that comes off can be recycled to create new handles or head guards. Here too, the bristles are made from Nylon-6.10, derived from castor oil.

Bioseptyl produces a toothbrush in beech from French eco-managed forests. Local wood is on the rise!

Or Lamazuna, which produces them in French bioplastics (still castor-based nylon) to minimize the carbon footprint, with a head that clips on (or off) easily.

But you still need to have a store near you that sells them and, above all, will take the heads back and return them to the manufacturer free of charge. In France, some companies like Lamazuna offer postal returns, but in Switzerland the system obviously doesn’t work.

This type of toothbrush with interchangeable heads is therefore an excellent alternative, provided you have a retailer near you (bulk grocery store, organic store, pharmacy or other) who will take back used toothbrush heads.

The stick of Miswak or Siwak

The alternative for purists and would-be zero wasters!

No more brushes or toothpaste, just a wooden stick to rub on your teeth!

Called Siwak, Miswak, Souak or Arak, it’s actually a branch of the Salvadora persica, a Middle Eastern shrub. It’s a small, fibrous stem that you rub over your teeth to clean them. In the Arab world, this technique has been used for thousands of years. Antimicrobial and whitening, it contains minerals, vitamins and numerous substances beneficial to oral health. It prevents bacteria from developing on dental plaque, fights bad breath and strengthens gums. These properties of the wood combine with the mechanical effect of brushing with the fibers released at the tip.

And when the Siwak is too short to be used, it’s off to the compost heap!

Have you ever tried Siwak? We haven’t launched yet, but if you have, we’d love to hear your impressions and feedback!

Enjoy your eco-responsible brushing!