Wednesday November 20, 2024
This is one of the flagship products in the ecological section for reducing your daily carbon footprint: the bamboo toothbrush. However, according to a recent study, this would not be the best option for the environment. Explanations.
Morning, evening, sometimes noon. Brushing your teeth is one of the mundane actions of our daily life. The American Dental Association recommends doing this at least twice a day and replacing your brush every three to four months, and even more often when the bristles are frayed.
Result: billions of them are thrown away every year. Bamboo, plastic, or electric… Which type of toothbrush is least harmful to the environment? The British and Irish universities UCL Eastman and Trinity College were interested in the question, and their result was surprising. Yet a symbol of small, “eco-friendly” everyday gestures, the bamboo object is not first in the ranking.
The electric toothbrush, 11 times less durable
To determine which toothbrush is the most durable, researchers analyzed the entire life cycle of each object: from raw material to manufacturing, including transport, use and disposal.
The worst for the environment? Electric toothbrushes, “harmful to the planet and to the people involved in the manufacturing and distribution process”says Dr. Brett Duane, principal investigator of the report, at the Eastman Dental Institute. Its environmental impact is 11 times greater than that of the bamboo toothbrush. She scores worst in almost every category. As it is heavier than the others, it is transport that contributes the most to its disastrous effect on the planet.
Read also: Ecological straws (made of bamboo and paper) contain “eternal pollutants”, is this worrying?
If the bamboo toothbrush remains more durable than its plastic counterparts, this is not the case when these same brushes are made of recycled plastic and have a replaceable head. Surprising, when we know that bamboo grows quickly, even in difficult conditions and while its fields constitute natural carbon sinks, according to a 2023 Chinese-Canadian study published in the scientific journal Climate.
Bamboo, not so favorable to biodiversity
What is harmful, then? “Bamboo toothbrushes may prevent better land use, such as increasing biodiversity or planting trees to offset carbon emissions”observes Paul Ashley, one of the co-authors of the study. This also highlights the impact of the toothbrush manufacturing process on human health.
However, questioned by the BBCPatrick Verkland nuance. His Swedish bamboo and plant-based toothbrush company, The Humble Co., ensures that they are grown in an environmentally friendly manner. And their product remains more biodegradable “because it decomposes naturally when disposed of properly”he assures. On the contrary, if it is not fully recycled, plastic can wander in nature for centuries, according to the environmental association WWF Australia.
The virtuous cycle of recycled plastic
However, recycled plastic “does not need water to grow” et “does not occupy much land”summarizes Dr. Brett Duane at the Eastman Dental Institute. It is therefore the most durable “in a continuous process”that is to say in a virtuous circle of recycling and reuse.
Read also: This resident of Finistère launches a cultivation of giant bamboos, an ecological and multi-use wood
For a truly durable toothbrush, “the important thing is to keep the plastic in the recycling chain, according to Dr. Duane. We need a system where plastic toothbrushes can be collected like batteries and then recycled into new products.” And if plastic escapes this chain, “it must be able to be easily and naturally broken down into harmless products”concludes the specialist.
