Monte Bianco: Resource-efficient toothbrushes
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 02.28.07
Previously mentioned in our Top 5 Picks for Personal Care back in 2004, we figured it was about time Monte Bianco toothbrushes got their own post. We are pretty sure that the standard toothbrush does not rate as one of the most polluting or resource intensive items in most households. However, (almost) everyone has one, and (almost) everyone replaces it every few months. It is neat then, when an everyday product like this is redesigned to drastically reduce waste. The Monte Bianco basically consists of a reusable handle, and a replaceable head, thereby ensuring that the plastic (and therefore oil) used in manufacture is kept to a minimum. Replacement heads are even available that use natural fibres, instead of plastic, for the bristles, reducing oil use even further. The heads come in packs of three, and each package is in itself much smaller than your average toothbrush packet, so energy used in packaging and transportation is also significantly less.
We have been unable to find a website for the manufacturers, but toothbrushes, and replacement heads, are available from Mariposa Alternative Bodycare in the UK, Eco Essentials in Australia, Internatural Alternative Health in the US, and Natractiv in Germany. Of course we’d be interested to know whether a German-made Monte Bianco used in Australia uses less energy than an Australian made standard toothbrush, so if anyone feels like doing the calculations, please let us know…
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in germany you can get toothbrushes with replaceable heads also from "dontodent", a housebrand of the german drugstore chain "dm-drogeriemarkt". they are a lot cheaper than most others while functioning and looking very nice.
maybe dm would be worth an own post too for the following reasons:
dm provides a large range of well-priced organic food which is partly even labeled "demeter" or "bioland" (severer standards than the organic label by the european union). the conventional cosmetic housebrand "balea" has become a collector of best grades by the german eco-test foundation. dm also offers a range of well-priced organic cosmetics by its housebrand "alverde" with even more best grades on eco-tests. last but not least dm is said to offer good working conditions to its employees and the founder of the company campaigns for the concept of basic income.
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Authors note:
Thanks Lars,
We will certainly look into it.
Its true that keeping toothbrush handles out of production and out of the landfill is a minor thing, but as an idea, a great one.
My concern, and it is a fleeting one, is that people will have 7 handles, one for each day, or something equally wasteful, simply because they can, if it became stylish.
Personally, I would love a well polished sustainable wood handle on a toothbrush, as long as it wasn't so hard it would break my teeth if I slipped!
i forgot to post the website of dm. the main webpresents is only available in german:
http://www.dm-drogeriemarkt.de/
on the slovene website there is a little of english information:
http://www.dm-drogeriemarkt.si/english_version.php
further german informationto find here :
dm on the german wikipedia:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dm-drogerie_markt
founder götz werner on the german wikipedia:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tz_Werner
dave s.,
the last time i was in whole foods i saw a radius toothbrush with a replaceable head and a wood-like handle. i looked it up when i saw your comment, and the handle is actually made from wood fiber blended with a maize-based plastic. it's 100% renewable and will biodegrade if composted. since i can never seem to find just the heads for my eco-dent toothbrush (though the toothbrushes are always in stock; talk about senseless marketing), i'll probably switch over to one of these.
It might be worth mentioning that the Natural bristles of the Monte Bianco replacement heads are pig hairs shaven from live pigs. Whilst this is extremely preferable over dead ones, I am unsure of the ethicallity of this process.
However, there is a completely organic (plant based) toothbrush available called a Miswak, traditionally used in Arab countries, it is actually the root of the Arak tree. It has many naturally occuring antiseptic qualities, as well as a tannic acid content (good for gums). To top it all off it even leaves a mintish taste! Only problem is they are very difficult to source in Australia, but if you can find them it's well worth it.