The Berninox handle
Our handles are made of stainless steel, but not just any steel. Sourced from Europe, Berninox steel contains 85% recycled material, significantly reducing mining, and is produced in electric arc furnaces rather than blast furnaces that require large amounts of coal. With these factors combined, the steel used for Berninox produces four times less CO2 emissions than standard stainless steel (on average 1.53 kg CO2e per kg of steel produced, calculated according to ISO 14067, cradle-to-gate).
From an energy optimization perspective, choosing steel may seem surprising since its production requires a lot of energy. However, the required energy and carbon impact are significantly lower than for plastic. In Europe, plastic production averages 2 kg of CO2e per kg of plastic, while the steel used for Berninox handles produces 1.53 kg of CO2e per kg of steel. Moreover, the Berninox handle is reusable, making its long-term impact much lower compared to a fully disposable toothbrush.
The Berninox head
The Berninox head is made of plastic, but here again we have chosen materials and processes that are more environmentally friendly.
The bristles of the Berninox brush are made from recycled plastic derived from PET bottles, and the base of the Berninox head is manufactured using recycled plastic from the Swiss company Tide Ocean Material. This material is produced from waste collected near oceans in areas where waste management is limited or nonexistent. Although this material has a higher climate impact than Swiss or European recycled plastic, as shown in the graph above, we are committed to contributing to beach cleaning and reducing ocean plastic pollution. Furthermore, Berninox recycled plastic remains advantageous compared to “new” plastic, as it represents 1kg of carbon per kg of recycled plastic produced compared to nearly 2kg for new plastic.
Berninox packaging
Our products are packaged in fully cardboard packaging made in Switzerland. We have chosen not to use plastic “windows” to showcase our products, making our packaging fully and easily recyclable. In addition, aware that printing inks are not recyclable, we minimize the amount of ink used on our packaging through a clean design and concise information.
Finally, because we believe every action counts, the boxes used to ship online orders are made in Switzerland from 100% recycled and FSC-certified cardboard, reducing our carbon footprint and our contribution to deforestation.
And Berninox, can it be recycled?
The end of life of Berninox toothbrushes is of course an important issue.
The handle, made entirely of stainless steel, can be taken to a recycling center and recycled. However, the brush head cannot be reintegrated into a recycling stream. To recycle it, it would be necessary to separate its different components and materials, particularly the metal staples that hold the bristles in place. There is currently no local solution to process this type of multi-component product. Furthermore, collecting used heads and transporting them to a specialized processing center would generate too much CO2 relative to the expected benefit due to transport. Therefore, we recommend disposing of Berninox brush heads in household waste. They will be incinerated and used to generate energy. At present, this is the best recovery solution with the lowest carbon impact.
