{"id":94320,"date":"2021-09-01T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=94320"},"modified":"2021-08-30T11:41:17","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T09:41:17","slug":"biobased-polyamide-vestamid-terra-in-toothbrushes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/biobased-polyamide-vestamid-terra-in-toothbrushes\/","title":{"rendered":"Biobased polyamide VESTAMID\u00ae Terra in toothbrushes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Two designers wanted to develop a toothbrush that combined sustainability and the best possible materials. It turned out to be much more difficult than first thought\u2014but they came across biobased VESTAMID\u00ae Terra from Evonik.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201eAs a designer, you influence consumers\u2019 buying decisions quite often,\u201c says Benjamin Beck. Over the course of his career that started to bug him: \u201ePersuading people to buy a product through appealing design is not enough for me.\u201c Beck wanted to do something different: He wanted to develop a product that made sense \u2014 an exciting design that is balanced with sustainable benefits. Initially he didn\u2019t have toothbrushes in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201eThe toothbrush is a really interesting object,\u201c Beck says today. Everyone uses a toothbrush several times a day, and although people dispose of them every two to three months, they perceive it as being of comparatively high quality. People use around 400 toothbrushes during their livetime, which produces the corresponding amount of waste. \u201cCouldn\u2018t this be done more sustainably?\u201d Beck and his design student friend Fabian Ghoshal asked themselves. There are eco-toothbrushes on the market that use animal hair as bristles, for example. \u201eBut such hairs split after a while, so bacteria can colonize\u201c Beck learnt. This is where bioplastics could score as a sustainable alternative. In 2013, Ghoshal and Beck discussed issues surrounding sustainable materials while on vacation. It was the nucleus of an idea that today has become TIO, a company for sustainable toothbrushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THINKING ABOUT THE FUNCTION, YOU GET THE SHAPE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The most hygienically sensitive part of a toothbrush is the head with the bristles that\u00a0has to be changed regularly. The shaft\u00a0can be used for much longer what is the case with the TIO models. \u00a9 Evonik<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning, it was not the material that mattered, but the design. The first designs were overdone, Beck admits retrospectively. The two founders considered whether the sustainable toothbrush might be shaped like a leaf. \u201eIn the end, though, we ended up following Ferdinand Porsche,\u201c Beck says: \u201eIf you think long enough about the function of a product, the shape follows.\u201c The TIO toothbrush does not look groundbreakingly different from other toothbrushes. However, there are many ideas in the product that are derived directly from its function: \u201eThe most hygienically sensitive part of a toothbrush is the head with the bristles,\u201c says Beck. It has to be changed regularly. The shaft, on the other hand, can be used for much longer – and this is also the case with the TIO models. That alone saves on waste. This consistency continues for the packaging, only the head is wrapped in a sterile sleeve. \u201eThe large blister packs seen for many toothbrushes are often marketing-driven,\u201c says Beck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next challenge faced by Beck and Ghoshal was the material. With no material, there is no product. Two coincidences helped the two designers. They make the acquaintance of Volker Dreher, a trained toolmaker and at that time managing director of a mold making company. He had already considered biobased plastics for toothbrushes, but his company rejected the idea: too expensive, no demand. Dreher had the know-how and expertise, Beck and Ghoshal contributed the enthusiasm and start-up will. \u201eSuddenly we had contacts with material and toothbrush manufacturers,\u201c Beck describes. However, the injection mold to produce the first batch of toothbrushes was expected to cost close to 40,000 euros. Money for an upfront investment the two friends didn\u2019t have. The second happy coincidence was the German launch of the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, which was looking for flagship projects to promote its crowdfunding business model. There, people were taken with the idea. \u201eIn general, I would say that the sustainability aspect has opened quite a few doors for us in our startup,\u201c says Beck: \u201eThe topic is clearly gaining interest.\u201c A Kickstarter campaign was created, and the two designers produced a video with the help of a cameraman friend to get customers excited about their idea. In the end, they got their start-up capital together – financed exclusively by end customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2018s no question that TIO toothbrushes are currently more expensive than a conventional toothbrush. \u201eBut that\u2018s also due to our smaller quantities,\u201c says Beck. Many traditional companies won\u2018t make the leap to biobased plastics because they still see growing customer interest as irrelevant: \u201eBut you have to give customers the choice.\u201c TIO now produces batches in the range of 100,000 units – five times its initial production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the TIO toothbrush, the two founders looked for different biobased plastics for the head, handle, and bristles. And quickly landed on VESTAMID\u00ae Terra for the bristles. In addition to the plastic being derived from castor oil, its properties are impressive: \u201eWe\u2018re talking about long-chain, semi-crystalline polyamides here,\u201c explains Johannes Krampe, Manager Filaments in the High Performance Polymers Business Unit at Evonik: \u201eThe filaments that are made from them are high-performance, for example, in terms of abrasion resistance.\u201c And that, in turn, is a decisive advantage for toothbrush bristles. At the same time, the bristles made from them are flexible and elastic, so they set up again and don\u2018t get out of shape or break. \u201eIt was important for us to offer a solution that is at least equivalent to conventional toothbrushes,\u201c says Beck. Users should not feel that they are getting an inferior product with a sustainable brush, or that they are in any way entering into an experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more he looks into the subject, the more clearly Beck realizes how much work is done in the field of toothbrushes with design features that are intended to arouse curiosity among buyers or strengthen brand recognition. The bristles made of VESTAMID\u00ae Terra from TIO don\u2018t look flashy, but they are based on the research findings of Stefan Zimmer, a professor at the University of Witten-Herdecke, Germany, who uses brushing robots to research sensible dental hygiene. An additional plus: The biobased material is also suitable for different diameters, i.e., for softer or harder bristles, depending on customers\u2019 taste. \u201eEvonik\u2018s portfolio was really perfect there,\u201c says Beck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The designer is now invested in everything to do with bioplastics. For him, the first decisive factor was that VESTAMID\u00ae Terra is plant-based: \u201eIn other words, the carbon comes from the atmosphere,\u201c he emphasizes: \u201eEven if the toothbrush is subsequently burned, carbon ends up back in the atmosphere as it was before.\u201c It is even better if the plants from which the plastic is made are not monocultures that could also be used as fodder crops. VESTAMID\u00ae Terra is made from the oil of the castor bean plant, which is inedible to many animals and grows mainly in arid regions. Evonik developed VESTAMID\u00ae Terra more than ten years ago, with the idea in mind that crude oil is finite. The plastic can be used in many industries, for example, in the fashion industry. For some years now, Evonik\u2018s product managers have been registering growing interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, it is anything but trivial for a new producer to work with plastics. The two TIO founders have also noticed this: \u201eWith every plastic, there is a different shrinkage behavior during the process, and they contract in different ways,\u201c reports Beck. After all, not only the bristles of their toothbrushes are made of bioplastic, but also the handle and the detachable heads, though not yet from VESTAMID\u00ae Terra. This caused the designers quite a headache, after all, the injection molding machines must be individually fine-tuned to account for this. Small hairline cracks were found in the very first batch of brushes produced \u2014 which Beck only noticed when he was getting the brushes ready for shipment. The company founders had to completely remanufacture. \u201eIt was a two-year development effort until everything was a final fit,\u201c Beck says. \u201eThe only thing that was a super fit right from the start was the bristles.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the products of TIO are listed in their first supermarkets. The company\u2018s reputation is slowly beginning to spread. \u201eWe still want to improve,\u201c Beck says expressing his entrepreneurial spirit: He wants to continue experimenting with bioplastics and is definitely interested in using VESTAMID\u00ae Terra for other components of the toothbrush. Initial trials are underway for the handles and heads as well. A uniform material for the entire brush would bring it one step closer to recyclability, another aspect of the sustainability concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201eI\u2018m really impressed with Evonik,\u201c says Beck. The Group took the route toward biobased plastics so early on and Beck was able to approach the product managers directly: \u201eIt\u2018s not a matter of course for a large corporation to provide such support and access for small entrepreneurs.\u201c Ultimately, he sees himself confirmed above all in the vision he had before starting the company: \u201eThere is a real tailwind for sustainable products. And I can do meaningful things as a designer.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Equivalent
Equivalent to conventional toothbrushesFilaments made of VESTAMID\u00ae Terra are very abrasion-resistant. The bristles made from it are flexible and elastic, do not get out of shape or break.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About Evonik<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The company is active in more than 100 countries around the world and generated sales of \u20ac12.2 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of \u20ac1.91 billion in 2020. Evonik goes far beyond chemistry to create innovative, profitable and sustainable solutions for customers. About 33,000 employees work together for a common purpose: We want to improve life today and tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Smart Materials<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Smart Materials division includes businesses with innovative materials that enable resource-saving solutions and replace conventional materials. They are the smart answer to the major challenges of our time: environment, energy efficiency, urbanization, mobility and health. The Smart Materials division generated sales of around \u20ac3.4 billion in 2020 with about 7,900 employees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two designers wanted to develop a toothbrush that combined sustainability and the best possible materials. It turned out to be much more difficult than first thought\u2014but they came across biobased VESTAMID\u00ae Terra from Evonik. \u201eAs a designer, you influence consumers\u2019 buying decisions quite often,\u201c says Benjamin Beck. Over the course of his career that started to bug […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Bio-bristles for the TIO toothbrush","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,11966],"supplier":[43,9938],"class_list":["post-94320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-plastics","supplier-evonik-industries-ag","supplier-kickstarter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94320"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=94320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}