Toothpaste is made of chemicals like fluoride, sorbitol, glycerine, abrasives and SLS while the toothpaste packaging is made from sheets of plastic laminate compressed around a layer of aluminium.
Toothpaste can be seen as a necessity since humans need to maintain their dental health by brushing their teeth at least twice a day (morning and night).
Since it is a necessity, the demand for toothpaste is constantly growing where it reached a global market size of USD 17.75 billion in 2019. So toothpastes are readily available at every convenient store, drug stores, supermarket and online platforms.
Key Features that Promote Sustainability
For toothpaste to become more sustainable, they need to have plastic-free packaging without harmful chemicals such as SLS and triclosan.
Small indie brands and international brands such as Lush know the harmful environmental effects of toothpaste and are beginning to produce and market more eco-friendly toothpaste alternatives.
Zero waste toothpaste such as chewable or powder toothpaste reduces the use of plastic and aluminium that are harmful to the environment.
Features that Reduce Sustainability
The plastics in the packaging are not biodegradable and take 700 years to decompose.
Due to increased consumption and demand, humans dispose 1 billion plastic toothpastes every year in landfills.
Chemicals like sodium pyrophosphate in toothpastes are problematic as they leak into rivers, seas, oceans and lakes causing water pollution like excessive algal growth.