No, you haven’t stumbled onto The Dieline, but we’re all about design here, and sometimes product packaging is something you can’t avoid talking about. In fact, there are times when the packaging is just as cool as the product.
Case in point: the Preserve toothbrush. Preserve sent me a sample to check out (I have always wanted to try a Preserve toothbrush!), packaged in their brand new eco-friendly packaging.
First, you need to know that Preserve has been making toothbrushes from recycled yogurt cups since 1997, which I think it just super cool to begin with. Now, they partnered with global innovation and design firm Continuum to create the Preserve Mail-Back Pack Toothbrush program. This keeps the toothbrushes AND the packaging out of the landfill — entirely. Each brush is packaged in a sleeve that doubles as a mailer, so that when you’re ready for a new toothbrush, you simply put the old one back in the original packaging and mail it back to be recycled into anything from a picnic table to a boardwalk! I have to say, this is pretty genius. You can get your own Preserve in its new packaging at popular retailers like Whole Foods or Target.
Alex Weldon on 06.22.2010 at 12:42 PM
This is the kind of thing that strikes me more as, optimistically, a poorly thought-out idea or, more cynically, a marketing gimmick with no real environmental agenda behind it. I find it hard to believe that the environmental benefit of recycling a single toothbrush outweighs the environmental cost (in terms of energy consumption) of sending said toothbrushes one by one, across the country, through the mail system. Even if there is some net gain, it can’t be an efficient use of the money spent on postage; there are countless more effective ways to make a difference.
Christie Lee on 06.25.2010 at 12:00 PM
Hi Alex, thanks for voicing your concerns. Preserve is always looking to make our products, packaging, and systems more environmentally friendly. We’ve thought deeply about the take back program and how to design it so it makes environmental sense.
For example, we use Life Cycle Assessments, a tool that takes a look at the environmental impact in every phase of the system, from transportation to any materials used in mailing the toothbrush back to us. The results of our study show that there is a net gain in overall environmental impact when you consider the big picture and take a systems level view, including everything from human health and environmental impact, energy and water usage, and resource depletion.
Why does it make environmental sense? Well, the package is designed to double as a mailer to send the toothbrush back to Preserve and the take back system takes advantage of the USPS infrastructure for sending mail. This system is very efficient: there are already trucks picking up mail from mailboxes and transporting mail around. By leveraging that system, we are able to drastically reduce the environmental impact of transportation. Plus, we can use the toothbrushes that you send back to make great new items!
Recycling, cradle-to-cradle design, closed loop, zero waste – these are all names for creating endless loops of materials. We are leading the way to a sustainable society where materials don’t end up in the landfills and our natural treasures, like our oceans.
Alex Weldon on 06.25.2010 at 13:02 PM
Well, I’m glad you’ve done a study, but I’ve got to go with Kant here. The idea that “there are already trucks picking up mail” arguably holds water if it’s just you doing this, but if lots of companies started doing similar things, there’d be a huge increase in the volume of stuff going through the mail system, which would mean a lot more trucks. Surely local recycling centers are a lot more efficient.
I don’t know what toothbrushes are made of… if it’s a standard recyclable plastic, why not just toss them in the bin with the rest of your plastics? If standard toothbrushes are not, then wouldn’t a simpler solution simply be to design a toothbrush that could be recycled through conventional channels?
Christie Lee on 06.25.2010 at 14:18 PM
Thanks for the good questions, Alex. The idea of utilizing the existing USPS infrastructure is an example to demonstrate how efficient transportation is in the US nowadays. When you use Life Cycle Assessment to look at the total environmental impacts of the program, versus putting the toothbrush in the landfill, recycling the toothbrush is much more environmentally friendly.
Local recycling centers will not accept toothbrushes to recycle. Toothbrushes are made of multiple plastics which means that you can not put it in to your blue bin for recycling. Municipal recycle facilities only recycle single material items. That’s why products like our razor handle and cutting boards are unique in the marketplace – they are made of one material whereas others on the market are made from multiple materials and can’t be recycled.
Our toothbrush is the only toothbrush on the market that can be recycled – because we know what materials we use to make it and have set up a recycling process to recycle it. We believe in taking responsibility for our products beyond selling you a great toothbrush – we want to provide you with an End of Life solution, too. This means that you can send your toothbrush back to us or drop it in a Gimme 5 bin at more than 220 participating Whole Foods Market locations across the country for us to recycle in to park benches, instead of putting it in the landfill.
We too wish we could design a brush out of one material so that it can be fully recyclable! Unfortunately, it’s not that simple because of the manufacturing processes needed to make a toothbrush. We’re thinking and working on it, though, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting news from Preserve!
Alex Weldon on 06.25.2010 at 15:30 PM
Alright, I’m convinced of your good intentions and that this scheme is a net positive for the environment, though probably a small one. Glad to hear that you’re working on a single-material toothbrush; I think that’s a much better solution, though I see how finding the right plastic to make both bristles and handle would be tough.
To be honest, my real worry about environmental gimmicks is a psychological one. People’s intuitive assessment of how much they’re doing for the environment tends to be quite skewed towards novel and sporadic acts, rather than the sorts of changes in habits that make a bigger impact. That is, someone can live in the suburbs, water their lawn and drive to work every day, and still feel they’re “living green” because they use Energy Saver light-bulbs and recyclable toothbrushes…
But that is not your problem, it’s everyone’s problem. I hope you haven’t felt that I was attacking your efforts.
popi vaki on 06.23.2010 at 07:50 AM
Starting brush-fresh with eco conscious lifestyle
Christie Lee on 06.28.2010 at 10:23 AM
Alex – you’re singing our song! I agree that sustainability and “living green” are about much more than recyclable products made from recycled plastic. Preserve is one component of a sustainable lifestyle and we’re glad to be a part of people’s everyday lives, reminding them of the things that matter. We hear all the time from our customers that whenever they brush their teeth, they’re reminded that it’s made from recycled plastic. After a good product experience with our toothbrush, customers gain faith in products made from recycled materials and it encourages them to buy other recycled material products. Studies show that small changes like this lead to bigger behavioral changes, such as car pooling to work.
Thanks for the good conversation and your commitment to the environment!
Collins Pt on 09.23.2010 at 02:41 AM
Very informative!!
In recent times, the world is becoming cognizant about the hazardous effects of plastic bags on the environment.
Also PLA has been used to line the inside of Paper Cups in place of the oil based lining more commonly used, create Plastic ( bioplastics ) Cups, Cutlery, Carrier Bags, Food Packaging and even Nappies.
Thanks,
Paul DeLave on 04.25.2011 at 10:00 AM
Good discussion- kudos to Alex for remaining civil. Unfortunately, he’s right about the “bigger picture”. So much that individuals, but more importantly Big Business has to address to make real change.
Let’s live responsibly!
Saeed Rahiminejad on 01.24.2012 at 12:29 PM
I couldn’t help but to say something! I really enjoyed the comments, both from Alex and Christie.
I think these kinds of new approches towards better, more efficient recycling are nice trys, but more knowledge increasing than practical. As Alex mentioned, we need something to change people’s behaviors over time. Although this packaging might do. Preserve should observe the feedbacks from customers and tell us how much it works.