Bite's No Waste Mentality
Here at Bite, we believe that caring for your body and the environment should work together. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other oral care products may not seem like the most obvious tool in the quest for more sustainable self-care alternatives, but let us explain.
By using environmentally friendly personal care products and other essentials, we can make a huge difference for our planet. Many products we use, from household cleaning products like dish soaps to beauty products like makeup, contribute directly to the pollution of our planet. Every step toward a more eco-conscious, low waste--or even no-waste and package-free--lifestyle is crucial.
This is why Bite is committed to being a zero-waste small business and reducing the more than one billion plastic tubes of toothpaste that end up in landfills annually. After all, protecting the environment and keeping it healthy for generations to come is something we can sink our teeth into 😉.
But why exactly is Bite’s no waste mentality important, and how does it help protect our planet?
Why Is Sustainability Important?
We’re seeing more people and organizations place greater importance on sustainable and eco-friendly ways of life - and for good reason. We each have a part in sustainable living, and choosing environmentally conscious materials and products can contribute significantly.
Often, these eco-conscious products cut down on waste by eliminating single-use plastic, using recyclable and plastic-free packaging, or having shipping practices that reduce carbon emissions. Essentially, the more often we choose zero-waste products over conventional and environmentally inefficient products, the better.
How Does Waste Contribute to Climate Change?
When greenhouse gases are released into our atmosphere, heat is trapped close to Earth’s planet leading to long-term climate change. Waste, and especially plastic waste, adds to the creation of greenhouse gases in a few ways. For one, creating these materials requires unsustainable resources (namely fossil fuels) that result in harmful emissions. After its use, incinerating plastic and other materials emit carbon, further hurting the atmosphere.
When we consider that plastic poses a threat to the environment at every stage of its existence, it is natural to wonder what we can do to break the cycle. Fortunately, there are options, many of which involve eliminating our use of plastic as much as possible.
We can do this by searching for more sustainable products or patronizing a store with low or zero waste.
What Is a Zero Waste Store?
A zero-waste store doesn’t use environmentally harmful materials like plastic and instead offers sustainable alternatives that can be recycled, composted, or naturally broken down. Zero waste shops are always mindful of their products’ impact on the environment and are careful to leave the planet better than they found it.
Zero-waste stores and zero-waste products can replace many of the products we use daily. Zero waste options are abundant in the personal care product space.
Consider zero waste skincare brands that utilize environmentally safe packaging, shampoo bars that take away the need for single-use plastic bottles, or our personal favorite: sustainable dental care (we definitely aren’t biased).
Truly, there are environment-preserving alternatives out there for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding what products are right for you and fit into your unique life.
Our Direct to Consumer Platform
By bypassing retail and shipping our products direct to consumers, we not only add a layer of convenience (who doesn’t love getting what they need sent right to their door?), but we also save plenty of resources along the way.
With our DTC platform, we can use the highest-quality ingredients and packaging without contributing to massive amounts of trash and pollution overwhelming the planet. This is the biggest benefit (in our opinion) of online stores.
The next step is figuring out the best and most sustainable way to ship our products. This issue becomes more complicated because many e-commerce platforms’ rapid turn-around is markedly awful for the environment.
Luckily, we found a solution. We reduce our carbon footprint by utilizing existing shipping routes and do not create waste during our products’ journey.
Vegan and Cruelty-Free Ingredients
While we want to protect the Earth for the good of humanity, we also recognize that humans are far from the only ones roaming this beautiful planet. Caring for our animal friends is also an integral part of our mission, so that is why we only ever use both vegan and cruelty-free ingredients.
In our pursuit of using only the best quality ingredients, our toothpaste includes a mixture that lacks harsh chemicals or unnecessary additives. As a result, our unique formula leaves you with the freshest, whitest, and most natural smile.
Each ingredient serves a unique and integral purpose. These ingredients include:
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Xylitol: As well as functioning as a natural sweetener, xylitol helps to remove bacteria that could cause cavities
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Erythritol: Aids in protecting against cavities by naturally making your teeth an inhospitable home for bacteria.
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Natural Berry Flavors: Delightful and natural fruit flavors are used to make your brushing experience even more enjoyable.
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Calcium Carbonate: This ingredient helps to polish your teeth, keeping them white and shining.
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Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate: Here is where Bite gets its signature foam, allowing for a more effortless clean.
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Sodium Bicarbonate: Fosters an environment where a healthy pH balance can thrive.
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Guar Gum: Acts as a binding agent so that Bites remain intact until that fateful brush.
- Nano-Hydroxyapatite: Also known as N-Hap, Rebuilds tooth enamel, simultaneously easing symptoms of sensitivity.
A Carbon Neutral Commitment
Bite is always looking to lower its carbon footprint as much as possible. That’s why we’ve gone fully carbon neutral. This means that while we have made sure that our carbon footprint is already minimal, we offset any carbon we cannot avoid with the help of Carbonfund.org.
Embracing Glass Bottles
Rather than continuing to use plastic tubes and adding to the 448 million tons of plastic pollution produced each year, we instead decided to disrupt the industry standard by being a plastic-free shop. In its place, we use plastic bottles, eliminating the need for single-use plastic tubes. This way, our containers are fully recyclable, eventually turning into sand. Our completely plastic-free packaging also includes an aluminum lid for easy recycling.
Not only are these glass bottles much better for the environment, but they also make for a striking aesthetic addition to any bathroom. They convey a commitment to sustainability and a rustic minimalist style that complements any room, countertop, or shelf.
Using Sustainable Packaging
The use of glass bottles greatly contributes to us being a plastic-free company, but the dedication to sustainability in every step of our process is something that we hold near and dear to our hearts. As such, we also use sustainable packaging to get our products right to your door.
In both our envelopes and boxes, we always utilize completely plastic-free shipping. Our envelopes are not plastic poly-mailers, and the shipment is kept safe with cushioning crafted from recycled newspapers. The envelopes are recyclable and compostable, again cutting down on the colossal sums of waste found in landfills, as well as aiding in ocean conservancy.
Meanwhile, Bite’s boxes are also fully recyclable and don't use any plastic packaging like our envelopes. They are made out of corrugated cardboard to add durability to the shipping process. Then, the boxes are sealed with paper tape.
Offering Refills
We’ll send you a refill of Bits in a 100% compostable package with Bite’s subscription. There’s no plastic in these zero waste kits, they're completely biodegradable and the perfect opportunity to reuse your Bite glass bottle.
How Can I Become Zero Waste?
The process of transitioning to a zero-waste lifestyle can feel overwhelming, but it’s all about implementing actionable, incremental changes that become second nature. Then, over time, continue to add more sustainable practices to your daily routine.
Buy Only What You Need
A substantial contributor to waste is the practice of over-buying, especially products with a limited lifespan before expiring. In buying more than we need, we are nearly guaranteeing the eventual disposal of an item that was once perfectly good and could have been used by someone else. This adds to the amount of waste on the planet while also requiring distribution chains to create more products to fulfill demand, expending undue resources and energy in the process.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
By only purchasing what we need, we reduce the amount of waste. Similarly, utilizing products that feature reusable packaging (like glass bottles, just saying) or can be used for other purposes than their intended use greatly aids in lessening the amount of material pollution we create. This is where recyclable materials come in to save the day.
Start Composting
One of the best ways to cut down on food waste is by composting your scraps. Like this, they can be returned to the ground, where they’ll act as a natural fertilizer. Composting can be done in a backyard or garden. Community compost piles can be a great option if you don’t have that kind of space and still want to get in on the composting fun.
Conclusion
Limiting our plastic use and pursuing a low waste lifestyle or no waste lifestyle is incredibly important to continuing life as we know it on Earth. We at Bite are committed to helping us move in the right direction by being direct-to-consumer, carbon-neutral, and plastic-free. Bite is the best zero waste toothpaste brand money can buy.
Sources:
Waste and Its Contribution to Climate Change | UC Boulder Environmental Center
America’s Addiction To Absurdly Fast Shipping Has a Hidden Cost | CNN
The World’s Plastic Pollution Crisis Explained | National Geographic
Salivary pH: A Diagnostic Biomarker | National Library of Medicine
