GSK Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) is piloting its first carbon neutral toothbrush.
The Sensodyne owner’s Dr.BEST GreenClean toothbrush, builds new sustainable handle technology onto its previous innovations with sustainable bristles and packaging.
The handle is made from renewable cellulose and ‘tall oil’, a wood-based bioplastic that is derived from pine, spruce and birch trees in sustainable forests. A byproduct of paper production, it is being applied in oral care for the first time by GSKCH.
Meanwhile, the bristles are made of 100% renewable castor oil, a technology already used in the brand owner’s Aquafresh and Dr.BEST bamboo brushes.
Finally, the plastic-free packaging includes GSKCH’s cellulose window, which can be disposed of via most municipal recycling schemes.
To analyse the brush’s carbon footprint, GSKCH teamed up with ClimatePartner, which found the footprint to be reduced by over 50% compared with the standard Dr.BEST toothbrush. The remaining footprint is offset through a community based ClimatePartner project in Madagascar.
“We’re proud to have led the growth of the oral care category globally, applying our trusted science to build awareness of preventable oral care conditions and drive better oral care habits,” said Gareth Rudduck, Oral Care Sustainability Lead, GSK Consumer Healthcare.
“We’re now collaborating with retailers and dental health care professionals to drive the growth of more sustainable options in oral care products across the world.
“Whilst this product achieves carbon neutral status by offsetting, we are working to develop future solutions that do not require offsetting.
“It’s just one part of our ongoing sustainability journey, in which we’re working to address the environmental and societal barriers to everyday health.”
