We do it in the morning, we do it in the evening, some even do it at lunchtime. Brushing our teeth is part of our daily routine. Usually, the activity offers little cause for reflection. Axel Kaiser is the exception to this rule. Inspired by the idea of sustainability, he has developed a paste-free toothbrushing product: denttabs - the toothbrushing tablet.

At the VBKI entrepreneur meeting in cooperation with the Berliner Morgenpost the founder and Managing Director of denttabs presented his product and the motivations behind it. The starting point, Axel Kaiser explained in conversation with VBKI Managing Director Ute Weiland, was a dental laboratory that he runs together with his brother. There, the visionary set out to contribute to the avoidance of plastic waste with the Denttabs toothbrush tablet, which he developed on the basis of a doctoral thesis. In Germany alone, more than 400 million toothpaste tubes end up in the bin every year. In 2009, he founded Denttabs innovative Zahnpflegegesellschaft mbH and started production. How does it work? Kaiser's pills are crushed in the mouth and the teeth are then brushed with the crumbly mass and a soft brush.

However, it took almost 20 years of resistance and setbacks before the breakthrough. The game changer came in 2019 with the increasing number of unpackaged stores. They inspired Kaiser to change its packaging. A compostable bag replaced the plastic container: not only did consumers appreciate the sustainability of the product and packaging, but a large drugstore chain also came knocking: "DM" added denttabs to its range. Other drugstores and retailers began to list denttabs. Denttabs was also awarded the German Sustainability Award Design 2021 and the product story was published as a book: "Mit Biss und Ausdauer - Die Erfolgsgeschichte der Pille für die Zähne" by Martina Haas.