Help Us Move Our Toothpaste Lab! - Solid

Project 2023-01-13 11:34:59 +1300

Important Update

Thanks to you we've hit our target. You amazing humans, you!

These are our Stretch Goals – because you've got us this far.

We set up this PledgeMe with the goal of moving into a bigger and better equipped lab - you have already helped us to achieve this.

We have been busy visiting sites and thinking hard about exactly how much space we need, and what we need once we move.

Stretch Goal #1

A 2x capacity toothpaste mixer

This would double our production, and reduce the inefficiency of making multiple small batches of fresh mint toothpaste in particular. Laura has her eye on a secondhand one which is $5k

Stretch Goal #2

A cardboard perforator ($6k)

At the moment, Laura's mum sources and prepares our eco friendly repurposed packing material, and is only paid in love.

Let's do this toothpaste thing, Aotearoa!

For the last 3 years, Solid has been making beautiful, dentally approved toothpaste, tablets and powder in Tītahi Bay, Aotearoa.

Our passion for reducing waste, protecting your teeth, and doing things just a bit differently has paid off.

But our toothpaste lab is bursting at the seams. We’ve convinced so many people to give up the toothpaste tube that we are barely keeping up with demand. What started on a tiny workbench has now taken over the entire bottom floor of our house. We are now a team of five. For the last six months, we have had a 20 foot shipping container on our front lawn. It's no longer practical to stay where we are.

Of course, there are some benefits. We can nip downstairs to top up our toothpaste when we run out, and it’s a VERY short commute to work.

But, there's also the negatives:

▪  Lugging 25kg bags of calcium carbonate up a steep driveway each day.

▪  The silent panic when a truck rolls up with a metric tonne of ingredients, and you’re thinking: where on earth am I going to put it all?

▪  Constantly rearranging equipment and adding shelves to every available space, to try and fit all we need into a rapidly shrinking lab.

It's time for us to move into a bigger, better lab so we can keep pushing the boundaries of what sustainable oral care can look like.

Every pledge and share means a lot to us!

How we got into toothpaste making

I’m Laura. Before starting Solid, I was an oral health therapist who was fed up with all the plastic waste we created in the dental industry.  When I learnt that we send 16 million toothpaste tubes to landfill every year in Aotearoa, and I saw the plastic washing up on our beaches, I was sure there had to be a better way. A plastic toothpaste tube is difficult or impossible to recycle, and is not our future.

Being a practical person with a knack for formulation, I learnt all there is to know about toothpaste and oral care, and started experimenting with making my own toothpaste tablets.

We now have a complete oral care range, including toothpaste and powder as well as toothpaste tablets, in a range of flavours like strawberry, orange and even cinnamon. 

Solid’s vision is everyday kaitiaki

A world where everyone understands the impact of, and takes responsibility for the decisions they make every day. Decisions like how we get to work, how stuff is disposed of, and why some products should be avoided. 

We know the challenge of climate change is a big one, but your choices matter and together, we can make a difference. And ditching the tube is one of many small decisions we make each day that can collectively have a huge impact.

Solid is a values-based business focused on kaitiakitanga, innovation and positivity.

For us, kaitiakitanga means being a good ancestor and considering our long-term impact on the planet. And, it also means acting as kaitiaki of our teeth – it’s no good being sustainable if we are not improving peoples’ oral health. This is why we use ingredients like fluoride and xylitol, and why we work with dental professionals across the motu. 

Changing behaviour is not easy, and we’re not afraid to do things differently. Innovation has always been part of Solid. Big challenges require innovation, and we love the problem we are solving. Positivity is more effective than guilt tripping and finger pointing. Yes, we all need to take responsibility for our impact, but we need to recognise the different values, views and ability of people to embrace everyday kaitiaki.

Some things we're really proud of

▪  Together with you, we’ve saved 35,000 toothpaste tubes from landfill.

▪  We manufacture our toothpaste right here in Aotearoa. We employ locals and are a proud member of the Porirua business community.

▪ We  invented the world's first toothpaste dispenser. Currently you can refill Solid toothpaste in Wellington CBD, Petone, and Palmerston North. You can also refill your toothpaste tablets and powder in stores across Aotearoa.

▪  Our jar return and reuse system. 15 percent of our jars are returned for reuse, which is huge! 

▪  We’ve measured and offset the carbon produced by our business operations for the last 2 years. This supports a forest in Hokitika and protects and ensures the biodiversity of Aotearoa.

▪  Recognition by our peers. We were a finalist in the 2021 Sustainable Business Networks awards, we went through the Creative HQ Climate Response Accelerator programme and were a finalist in Soda Inc.’s Rise Up, supporting leading female entrepreneurs.

If you can, please pledge or share

In the last three years we have been blown away by all the support we have received.

Now, we’re asking for help so that we can move into a bigger lab, fit it out with the right equipment, and continue to change the way we brush. 

Ngā mihi nui!

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