Sustainability in the dental care industry: the answer is wood

Today, wood has replaced plastic components in almost all industries. Being a natural material, wood is appreciated by those consumers who want to make more conscious choices and are more prone to buy sustainable items. Companies are adapting to this trend to stay ahead of the competition. The dental care industry is not excluded. Let’s discuss it in the following article.

How to make the dental care industry more eco-friendly

Sustainability is becoming a major topic in oral care. People are more aware today than ever before about environmental problems linked to plastic pollution, and they try to choose more ecological materials when they buy something.

A huge quantity of plastic waste is produced in the house. Here are some examples:

• plastic bags for shopping
• plastic wraps for fruit and vegetables
• plastic jars for sauces, honey, and cosmetics
• plastic containers for food storage
• plastic bottles for water
• plastic toothbrushes

When thrown away, these objects end up in landfills, but also in our oceans and on our beaches. It is estimated that every day almost 8 million pieces of plastic are thrown into the oceans.

Choosing wooden oral care products instead of plastic ones is the first step to reduce this number.

The problem, however, is not just about the raw material. The production process has an important role too. Offering ecological objects in your catalogue is not enough. If the manufacturing company you select doesn’t follow the standards dictated by the market about environmental protection, your efforts will be vain.

Wood must be collected following strict parameters to safeguard forests. You must ensure that your supplier uses only FSC-certified raw materials: it means that timber is gathered responsibly, respecting the natural eco-system. In a responsibly managed forest, for every tree harvested, another one replaces it, maintaining the right balance.

As we discussed in this article, responsible cutting of trees is crucial to protect wildlife, improve the health of forests, encourage regeneration, maintain biodiversity, and satisfy the international need for timber. It has nothing to do with deforestation that negatively affects natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and the climate. When forests are properly managed, there are many benefits for both humans and the environment.

A sustainable company will adopt the principles of a circular economy model, reusing scraps to make other objects or heat their systems. Transportation logistics is also important: shortening the process raw materials go through to reach production can significantly reduce the carbon footprint.

You must consider all these aspects when deciding to offer sustainable products in your catalogue.

Why you should add wooden oral care products in your catalogue

Besides the considerations mentioned above about sustainability and environmental protection, there are other reasons why you should offer wooden toothbrushes and interdentals.

Proliferation of bacteria is reduced

Wood can be treated with special finishes to make it water-repellent, avoiding the proliferation of bacteria and mold in humid environments. Toothbrushes and interdentals are usually placed in the bathroom, in contact with water, where moisture is usually present. A competent manufacturer can offer finishes that protect wood and repel water at the same time. Consumers will be more prone to buy a safe and more hygienic product.

Wooden oral care objects are innovative

Wood is also appreciated because it can be enhanced with many innovative finishes and customized according to customers’ preferences, creating real objects of design. Wood is considered a prestigious material, and people love to display beautiful wooden objects in their houses. People will find an added value in wooden oral care products, as they are sustainable and elegant at the same time. Therefore, they will be willing to pay more for them.

Your ROI will increase

Wooden products are cost-effective for 3 main reasons:

1. They don’t need moulds. It means that the initial investment you must make is lower if compared to plastic objects. Moulds are very expensive, and if you need to modify your product, you must spend extra money for a new mould. Wooden products can be easily reshaped according to your and your clients’ requests.
2. They can be produced in small lots only when customers order them. You don’t need to spend money to stock them in a warehouse. Alternatively, some manufacturers can produce wooden components in advance and store them so long as clients order them. Delivery will be virtually instantaneous in this way.
3. They can be half-processed and completed according to clients’ preferences. It means that production can be adapted to the market, with a better chance of success. If your supplier can offer predrilled toothbrush heads, commercialization will be even simpler, as you could test the market and adjust production accordingly.

Today, competition among retailers is very high, and they must find ways to differentiate themselves. You must find a supplier that observes market trends and offers innovative, top-quality, and safe products both for people and the environment.

If you are looking for a reliable supplier, the Minelli Group is the right choice. We have more than 80 years of experience in wood manufacturing, and we follow all the rules dictated by the market for environmental and forestry protection. We use only safe paints approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and we can manage wood perfectly, avoiding splinters and defects.

If you need more information, contact us!