New to market in 2023, friendly floss is a stainless-steel flossing device for those who care about oral hygiene and the environment. It’s the brainchild of Giles and Leslie Edwards, sustainability entrepreneurs focused on reducing plastic waste. friendly floss is kind to teeth and the planet, can be used with any floss, is made from food grade stainless-steel, and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Giles, working with his wife Leslie, decided to invent a reusable flosser after watching Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II and seeing the devastating impact of plastic on wildlife.
The couple have spent many hours over the last four years working to bring friendly floss to market. There were more than 20 iterations of the device before they settled on the stainless-steel version rigorously tested for size, shape, functionality and material to ensure conformance with General Product Safety Directive. Dental professionals and consumers at home and abroad are already buying the product either via the bespoke website or on Etsy.
Early feedback from the dental profession has been positive. Dentist Dr Ben Atkins commented: “Cleaning between your teeth is essential to good hygiene. The more options there are for patients the better. This is a great piece of kit.”
Dental hygienist Rupi Gill, commented: “As encouragement of flossing is a priority, many of my patients feel disheartened by the impact many dental tools have on the environment. Having tried and tested friendly floss, it is refreshing to find a flosser that is not only effective and kind to the planet but will also stand the test of time.”
This is exactly the kind of response they were hoping for. Their priority was to design a product that is effective yet simple, attractive, durable and easy to clean in a dishwasher or sink, for repeated use. Giles explained: “Many years ago I came across a pigeon with a plastic bag tied around her neck and since then it’s been my ambition to reduce plastic waste.”
He describes how moved he was by the plight of the pigeon, an image that still haunts him: “She was gradually being strangled. I managed to catch her, carefully cut off the plastic and see her safely fly off.”
The couple created a platform for reusable products, called reuseus. Their mission is to encourage consumers to live more thoughtfully, so the consequences of their buying decisions rank more highly than pure convenience. reuseus promotes a ‘make once, use many times’ approach rather than ‘make many times, use once’ and friendly floss is the first product listing.
The decision to make a dental tool was inspired by an episode of the BBC’s Blue Planet II in which viewers saw how albatross chicks were dying after consuming small pieces of plastic, fed by their own parents. Giles said: “We were already determined to lead more eco-conscious lives. Sir David Attenborough inspired us to invent a way to replace single-use plastic floss picks, and so friendly floss was born.”
On using friendly floss he said: “There are four ways to thread friendly floss; once you have found your preferred way, ideally using a biodegradable brand of floss, you can control the tension of the floss and rotate the floss during use. The carefully designed shape allows access to all teeth while
protecting gums. This gives you a better flossing experience every day while never needing to buy a plastic floss pick again. Each person who buys friendly floss can save over 1000 floss picks in 3 years.”
To reduce the company’s impact, friendly floss is sent out in sustainable packaging made from a single piece of fully recyclable kraft card that folds in on itself for delivery and display.
friendly floss can be bought via https://www.friendlyfloss.com or Etsy, price £15.99
