The Dental Floss Factory

Dental floss is a thread usually made of nylon or silk which is used to clean food debris and dental plaque accumulated in interdental spaces. More plastic…

It does not decompose. Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the health risks associated with bad oral health. Regular use of floss removes plaque and food debris lodged between teeth and prevents tooth decay.

And it is a big market, valued at USD 490.6 million in 2018. Flossing is prevalent in developed countries but also on a rise to new economies.

So how could we make it sustainable?

How we found it

Our sourcing team was looking for a biodegradable and waste-based dental floss. We found it close to the sea of eastern China.

The Dental Floss Factory is located in the coastal province of Shandong, China, close to Mount Tai. Mount Tai has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years and served as one of the most important ceremonial centres of China.

The process and way of working

The process of making a dental floss completely without plastic is far from easy but well worth it. We buy local waste corn and turn it into starch together with some candelilla wax and oil.

It is FDA approved, cruelty-free and The Vegan Society certified.


We did three major innovations with this product:

1. We took away all plastic - the bags are cornstarch-based
2. We decided to sell them in slightly bigger packs to avoid sending loads of items across the world.
3. Refills can easily be fitted into a permanent glass container

About the owner

The Dental Floss Factory was founded in 2009. It has 50 employees working under living wage conditions. It is a family business and we last met in September 2019.