Earlier this year, we wrote an article about Reswirl and the company's toothbrushes, which are made of Bio-PBS (Polybutylene succinate), a natural substance derived from sugarcane and corn, which is mixed with calcium carbonate for stiffening and whitening.

What seemed interesting was that people could buy these innovative toothbrushes as a one-time purchase to try them out or through a quarterly or annually subscription service, and the used brushes can be returned for recycling.

This is especially useful since experts at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that people should replace manual toothbrushes every three to four months for optimal hygiene.

Through the return system, Reswirl makes sure that the toothbrushes won't end up as waste in the landfill. Additionally, the company is even able to gather some of the old materials in order to use them in the new brushes, creating a circular lifecycle for its products.

We talked to the Reswirl team in order to find out more about the company's toothbrushes and how they can revolutionize the process of replacing an old toothbrush.

Since all members of the Reswirl team worked together before founding the company, they wanted to create "a suite of products that offered a real sustainable solution."

Two members of the team have experience when it comes to project management, one of them has an engineering background and one of them has experience when it comes to data analysis, within the retail space.

Developing a toothbrush that would solve the plastic waste problem

From the idea of launching a new product that would address a gap in the market and actually releasing Reswirl online, the team needed three years.

The desire to release an everyday product that people use constantly and to make it sustainable led to the development of the new toothbrushes.

"We didn’t start out by looking specifically at the health sector but wanted an everyday product that had a significant impact on the plastic waste problem", we were told.

From the very get go the team behind the project wanted to develop the toothbrushes in a way so that they can make new toothbrushes by recycling most of the materials from the used ones.

The challenges of making a recyclable toothbrush

When making the recyclable toothbrush, Reswirl needed to make sure that comfort and performance weren't compromised, which is why they needed to find environmentally-friendly materials that would be elastic.

So far, customers like the product, the representatives say, as they told us that "in terms of look, feel, usability and longevity the customer feedback has been very positive. We have received praise on the cylindrical design and nodules for grip. The brush has all been designed in house."

Photo source: Reswirl

Bringing the recyclable toothbrush everywhere on Earth

The team at Reswirl hopes that, in the future, people from around the world will use its innovative product, but before that will happen, the company needs to make its name widely known in the UK.

"Our brushes are only available in the UK at present. However, it is our aim to eventually launch this worldwide but we need to establish ourselves in the UK first and then realistically find partners to work with in the countries where we launch. We have received interest from the US, Canada, Australia, and some European countries wanting to buy brushes", the representative added.

Resiwrl's recyclable toothbrushes have great potential when it comes to solving part of the plastic waste problem generated by replacing old toothbrushes.

In fact, the company's solution could replace some 3.5 billion toothbrushes purchased every year that are used for just a few months before being thrown away.

Reswirl's investments

As far as what it took to start the company from a financial stand point, we weren't given any numbers, but the company representative told us that "we were lucky that one of the founders has invested in the tooling and marketing required when launching a new product. We also had some investment by Innovate UK by way of a grant."

As far as current investments go, Reswirl was able to gather a total of around 250.000 GBP (290.000 EUR), and the team is looking to attract further investments in order to extend further into the market.

Recycled toothbrushes made in the UK

The company manufactures its innovative toothbrushes in the UK through its partners from moulding and bristling, and as far as sustainability goes, we were told that "we are looking to use at least 25% recycled material in our brushes."

Reswirl is still in the early stages with its new product and so far, around 500 customers have already invested in using a recyclable toothbrush.

Reswirl is confident that people who will want to make a difference with regards to the environment will look forward to this product as a solution to prevent the accumulation of waste.

"I think we need to do something to halt the alarming amount of toothbrushes ending up in landfill or the oceans so as long as we are price competitive and focus on the quality of the toothbrush then why not?", the representative added.

Bamboo toothbrushes, the eco-friendly competitor

As far as competition goes, the Reswirl team is looking at the bamboo toothbrush market as the main competitor, which aims to offer a durable alternative to the traditional plastic brushes.

We were told that "the value of that market in 2019 was estimated to be $23.5m", so it's safe to say that the bamboo toothbrush market is big, but Reswirl's product could succeed in its approach.

The company's plant-based recyclable toothbrushes could be even more sustainable when compared to the bamboo alternative, but it needs to reach as many customers as possible in order to establish itself as a major player.

Reswirl's goals for the rest of the year

The company's main goal for the rest of the year is to make people aware of the new type of product and the potential advantages that it can bring compared to what's out there on the market.

The representative told us that "we want to establish ourselves in the UK and look to grow the market both in retail, dental practices and online."

For people who are interested in buying the product, all purchases of the eco-friendly brush include shipping costs to and from the UK, so basically there is no extra shipping cost.

While shipping definitely has its own carbon footprint, Reswirl makes up for this with their biodegradable toothbrushes and their packaging, which is also environmentally friendly.

Photo source: Reswirl