Sugarcane Plastic Tubes: A Surprisingly Sustainable Solution
Sugarcane Plastic Tubes: A Surprisingly Sustainable Solution
Sugarcane Plastic: A Surprisingly Sustainable Solution
We all brush our teeth twice a day. (At least, we hope you do!) And while all that brushing is great for your oral health, it has not been so great for the planet. In the United States alone, approximately 400 million toothpaste tubes are discarded every year. Now consider that it takes nearly 500 years for each of those tubes to decompose, and you quickly realize this isn't a sustainable system. Our landfills and oceans are overflowing with plastic waste, and if we continue at this rate, we have no hope of ever getting ahead.
Creating sustainable, earth-friendly products is at the heart of what we do here at Elims. That's why we've bucked the traditional plastics (made of fossil fuels) that most toothpaste comes in and instead use Green Polyethylene tubes.
What is Green Polyethylene?
The name is a bit of a mouthful, but in the simplest of terms, it's an alternative to traditional Polyethylene (that's the thermoplastic resin used for everything from cleaning products, toys, plastic bags, housewares, etc.). Polyethylene is manufactured for durability - which is good if you want your child's Barbie Dream House to last a long time, but bad when it comes to something you're going to toss in a month - like a tube of toothpaste. Instead, Green Polyethylene is made from raw (not manufactured) materials. In this case, sugarcane ethanol.
Why use sugarcane?
It seems counterintuitive for an oral healthcare company to use something made from sugar, right? (The irony is not lost on us.) But in this case, it truly is the better alternative! While about half of sugarcane production goes to making - you guessed it, sugar - the leftovers (the sugarcane husks) can actually be used to produce a material that has very similar properties to traditional plastics. And it’s a renewable resource. This means it can be used repeatedly without fear of running out, as it can be replenished naturally and quickly.
Sugarcane can also be grown responsibly. Brazil is currently the world's leader in sugarcane production and second-largest ethanol producer, and they have strict zoning policies in place to protect the Amazon Rainforest and the Pantanal Wetlands. There are also fewer carbon emissions associated with sugarcane production, as the mills can be powered by burning the stem residue of the sugarcane itself!
What else makes it so great?
🎍 While there are many ways to practice sustainability (recycle, shop second-hand, and so on), in this case, sustainability is happening at the BEGINNING of the product's lifecycle, not just at the end of it.
🎍 Sugarcane plastic tubes look, feel, and perform as good as petroleum-based plastics with the added benefit of not contributing to carbon emissions or languishing in a landfill for the next few centuries.
🎍 They are certified in the USA and Europe with the standard ASTM D6866.
🎍 Elims will recycle these tubes with TerraCycle for FREE for our customers.
Is changing what my toothpaste comes in really going to make a difference?
It might seem like a small thing, but when enough people commit to making simple changes, something as simple as a tube of toothpaste, it has a wider global impact. We're committed to healthier smiles - and a healthier earth - one tube of toothpaste at a time.
Have you tried our toothpaste? Let us know what you think about our sugarcane tubes in the comments below!
Sugarcane Plastic Tubes: A Surprisingly Sustainable Solution
Sugarcane Plastic: A Surprisingly Sustainable Solution
We all brush our teeth twice a day. (At least, we hope you do!) And while all that brushing is great for your oral health, it has not been so great for the planet. In the United States alone, approximately 400 million toothpaste tubes are discarded every year. Now consider that it takes nearly 500 years for each of those tubes to decompose, and you quickly realize this isn't a sustainable system. Our landfills and oceans are overflowing with plastic waste, and if we continue at this rate, we have no hope of ever getting ahead.
Creating sustainable, earth-friendly products is at the heart of what we do here at Elims. That's why we've bucked the traditional plastics (made of fossil fuels) that most toothpaste comes in and instead use Green Polyethylene tubes.
What is Green Polyethylene?
The name is a bit of a mouthful, but in the simplest of terms, it's an alternative to traditional Polyethylene (that's the thermoplastic resin used for everything from cleaning products, toys, plastic bags, housewares, etc.). Polyethylene is manufactured for durability - which is good if you want your child's Barbie Dream House to last a long time, but bad when it comes to something you're going to toss in a month - like a tube of toothpaste. Instead, Green Polyethylene is made from raw (not manufactured) materials. In this case, sugarcane ethanol.
Why use sugarcane?
It seems counterintuitive for an oral healthcare company to use something made from sugar, right? (The irony is not lost on us.) But in this case, it truly is the better alternative! While about half of sugarcane production goes to making - you guessed it, sugar - the leftovers (the sugarcane husks) can actually be used to produce a material that has very similar properties to traditional plastics. And it’s a renewable resource. This means it can be used repeatedly without fear of running out, as it can be replenished naturally and quickly.
Sugarcane can also be grown responsibly. Brazil is currently the world's leader in sugarcane production and second-largest ethanol producer, and they have strict zoning policies in place to protect the Amazon Rainforest and the Pantanal Wetlands. There are also fewer carbon emissions associated with sugarcane production, as the mills can be powered by burning the stem residue of the sugarcane itself!
What else makes it so great?
🎍 While there are many ways to practice sustainability (recycle, shop second-hand, and so on), in this case, sustainability is happening at the BEGINNING of the product's lifecycle, not just at the end of it.
🎍 Sugarcane plastic tubes look, feel, and perform as good as petroleum-based plastics with the added benefit of not contributing to carbon emissions or languishing in a landfill for the next few centuries.
🎍 They are certified in the USA and Europe with the standard ASTM D6866.
🎍 Elims will recycle these tubes with TerraCycle for FREE for our customers.
Is changing what my toothpaste comes in really going to make a difference?
It might seem like a small thing, but when enough people commit to making simple changes, something as simple as a tube of toothpaste, it has a wider global impact. We're committed to healthier smiles - and a healthier earth - one tube of toothpaste at a time.
Have you tried our toothpaste? Let us know what you think about our sugarcane tubes in the comments below!