- Two designers wanted to develop a toothbrush that combined sustainability and the best possible materials. It turned out to be much more difficult than first thought—but they came across biobased VESTAMID® Terra from Evonik.
According to the company’s website news release on February 1, 2023, “as a designer, you influence consumers’ buying decisions quite often,“ says Benjamin Beck. Over the course of his career that started to bug him: “Persuading people to buy a product through appealing design is not enough for me.“ Beck wanted to do something different: He wanted to develop a product that made sense — an exciting design that is balanced with sustainable benefits. Initially he didn’t have toothbrushes in mind.
“The toothbrush is a really interesting object,“ Beck says today. Everyone uses a toothbrush several times a day, and although people dispose of them every two to three months, they perceive it as being of comparatively high quality. People use around 400 toothbrushes during their live time, which produces the corresponding amount of waste. “Couldn‘t this be done more sustainably?” Beck and his design student friend Fabian Ghoshal asked themselves. There are eco-toothbrushes on the market that use animal hair as bristles, for example. “But such hairs split after a while, so bacteria can colonize“ Beck learnt. This is where bioplastics could score as a sustainable alternative. In 2013, Ghoshal and Beck discussed issues surrounding sustainable materials while on vacation. It was the nucleus of an idea that today has become TIO, a company for sustainable toothbrushes.
THINKING ABOUT THE FUNCTION, YOU GET THE SHAPE
The most hygienically sensitive part of a toothbrush is the head with the bristles that has to be changed regularly. The shaft can be used for much longer what is the case with the TIO models.© Evonik
At the beginning, it was not the material that mattered, but the design. The first designs were overdone, Beck admits retrospectively. The two founders considered whether the sustainable toothbrush might be shaped like a leaf. “In the end, though, we ended up following Ferdinand Porsche,“ Beck says: “If you think long enough about the function of a product, the shape follows.“ The TIO toothbrush does not look groundbreakingly different from other toothbrushes. However, there are many ideas in the product that are derived directly from its function: „The most hygienically sensitive part of a toothbrush is the head with the bristles,“ says Beck. It has to be changed regularly. The shaft, on the other hand, can be used for much longer - and this is also the case with the TIO models. That alone saves on waste. This consistency continues for the packaging, only the head is wrapped in a sterile sleeve. “The large blister packs seen for many toothbrushes are often marketing-driven,“ says Beck.
The next challenge faced by Beck and Ghoshal was the material. With no material, there is no product. Two coincidences helped the two designers. They make the acquaintance of Volker Dreher, a trained toolmaker and at that time managing director of a mold making company. He had already considered biobased plastics for toothbrushes, but his company rejected the idea: too expensive, no demand. Dreher had the know-how and expertise, Beck and Ghoshal contributed the enthusiasm and start-up will. “Suddenly we had contacts with material and toothbrush manufacturers,“ Beck describes. However, the injection mold to produce the first batch of toothbrushes was expected to cost close to 40,000 euros. Money for an upfront investment the two friends didn’t have. The second happy coincidence was the German launch of the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, which was looking for flagship projects to promote its crowdfunding business model. There, people were taken with the idea. “In general, I would say that the sustainability aspect has opened quite a few doors for us in our startup,“ says Beck: “The topic is clearly gaining interest.“ A Kickstarter campaign was created, and the two designers produced a video with the help of a cameraman friend to get customers excited about their idea. In the end, they got their start-up capital together - financed exclusively by end customers.
Filaments made of VESTAMID® Terra are very abrasion-resistant. The bristles made from it are flexible and elastic, do not get out of shape or break.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of €12.2 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €1.91 billion in 2020. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable and sustainable solutions for customers. About 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life today and tomorrow.
ABOUT SMART MATERIALS
The Smart Materials division includes businesses with innovative materials that enable resource-saving solutions and replace conventional materials. They are the smart answer to the major challenges of our time: environment, energy efficiency, urbanization, mobility and health. The Smart Materials division generated sales of around €3.4 billion in 2020 with about 7,900 employees.
DISCLAIMER
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.
Dr. Ursula Keil
Head of Market Communications
High Performance Polymers
Phone: +49 2365 49-9878
