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Silk Floss or no Silk floss?...Lets talk about it

The Canadian dental association recommends that we floss once a day to avoid tartar build up.

"In 1994, Americans used more than 2.5 million miles of dental floss, the equivalent of circling the earth more than 100 times." (Made how)

The problem for us - and our plastic-free mission - is that dental floss contains nylon and in some cases Teflon.  Nylon is petroleum based and we're not sure it ever decomposes because it's not found in nature and therefore microbes (those essential organisms that turn waste back into soil) do not 'eat it'.  Teflon - once the belle of the cookware ball - has similar challenges and there are also some potential health concerns.

Lastly, dental floss is typically housed in a plastic dispenser - also petroleum based and non-biodegradable.

After battling with a few different options we landed on 30 metre spools of 100% pure mulberry peace silk, housed in a glass dispenser with a stainless steel lid and floss cutter.  Sounds good right?  Well, some folks love it, but others may challenge our use of silk, with valid concerns.

So...why silk?

Well, in choosing our floss, we tested a number of options.  The bamboo floss we researched isn't typically plastic-free. Bamboo on its own isn't strong enough, so it’s typically laced with polyester - a step up from ordinary nylon floss, but not ideal because polyester is petroleum based and it doesn't decompose.

Corn floss sounded interesting, but our resident flossing geeks (we're looking at you, Michelle) came back with a resounding no when it broke apart super easily (as corn might), but it was so thick that it irritated their gums. Game over? Hold up, partner.

Then we tried some Ahimsa Mulberry Silk Floss. Great strength, decent thickness and lovely taste.

We finished it off with a glass jar to complete this plastic-free floss alternative. 

From a performance, biodegradability and style perspective it seems to have a hit the mark. Check out these comments:

"It's simple (refill packaging), elegant (the refillable container), sustainable, healthy, and makes a boring chore exciting!" (Elle M)

"It works really well. I’ve only used one type of synthetic floss that works better! I love this stuff." (Joseph C)

"love it! It makes me enjoy flossing more. For me the best part is: it looks like a message in a glass bottle. So delicate!" (Rebecca Liu)

The Flip side to Silk

Despite the good vibes, there is always a tradeoff to every decision a company makes - here's ours.

"How is replacing product with SILK and Beeswax more environmentally sound than plastic!!!

Aren't you supposed to be an ETHICAL COMPANY?

How is furthering the exploitation of animals better than plastic waste when there are options that are neither plastic nor barbaric?" 

Silk comes from a worm and the production of the silk typically results in the death of the silk worm, so we searched for an option that avoided this nasty fate.

We landed on what is known as Ahimsa silk, also known as peace silk, which avoids the boiling of the silk worms in their pods. Although this 'sounds good', our next QC measure is to get detailed documentation that is more specific as to our supplier's process so that we can share a step by step with all of you!

We think we made the best choice with the options we had available, but we're always looking to improve and find even better alternatives - hemp comes up a lot.  What do you think?  What would you do if you were us?

Don't have a floss yet? Well its not too late, grab one today and find out what the talk is all about! 

                                                  

 

product development

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Comments


  • I think if the Peace Silk means the caterpillars are allowed to emerge as adults before the cocoon is harvested, it would be the best choice to continue production. Hemp could also be worth looking at as stated above.

    Nolan on
  • For vegans, this may not seem like a great option. For non-vegans it sounds 100% natural & sustainable.

    What was the original floss made of? My understanding was that it was a strong, thin, waxed string. Is Cotton thread not strong enough? Yes, Cotton has its own problems.

    I think you need to always look back at your mission, which is PLASTIC-FREE & biodegradable. You will never be able to solve every buyer’s requirements & make an economically sustainable product.

    PS You can consider selling both vegan & non-vegan products side-by-side.

    Aari on
  • I like the plastic-free alternative you’ve created, really like the use of Ahimsa silk, but would reeeeeeally like an option that is BOTH animal-product-free and plastic-free. I know I’m setting the bar high, but perhaps not out of reach… Plant fibers without beeswax is my hope. In the meantime, I’ll keep using the gum stimulator my dentist gave me. (Plastic, yes. Perfect, no. But reusable for years as it can be sterilized.)

    Pam Rempel on
  • Stick with silk. It’s natural. You will always deal with ‘trolls’ who have no idea what ‘ vegan’ means. Unless they live on a VERY limited diet, their food is pollinated by insects. Captive bees that we bring to our orchards and release, them capturing them again and moving not the next farm. Not to mention that their food is fertilized by the feces of our animals raised for food. They hold a belief system that is quite easily debunked by actual science. At this point we are supporting disillusion and belief systems over hard science facts, and ai personally won’t entertain such misguided beliefs unless they can refute it with more reliable science.

    Rohahiio on
  • I appreciate your transparency about your choices, and your drive to improve and be more ethical. Staying tuned!

    Cheryl on


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