How to Choose Sustainable Dental Floss

Updated on
January 31, 2025
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When shopping for dental floss, opt for plastic-free products that are made with bamboo and coated with candelilla wax. Avoid floss that’s made with nylon or PLA and coated with PFAS. If you can, buy floss that’s packaged in reusable glass containers or disposable paper containers instead of plastic, and when you throw your floss away, make sure it goes in the trash and not the toilet. 

Materials

Nylon

Conventional floss is made of nylon, a synthetic material derived from crude oil (aka fossil fuels). Nylon takes more than 80 years to decompose and when it’s being produced it emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. We recommend steering clear of nylon-based floss. 

Bamboo

Bamboo fiber has cropped up as an alternative to nylon, which is great because it grows super-fast and its cultivation can be gentle on land and soil. If you purchase bamboo floss, though, be sure it is coated with only a biodegradable vegetable-based wax (like candelilla wax) and doesn’t contain any polylactic acid (PLA). 

PLA

Polylactic acid (aka PLA) is a bioplastic made out of cornstarch. Although PLA will decompose faster than traditional plastic, it requires specific conditions to degrade. PLA must be properly composted in the right type of facility -- a waste stream that most people do not have access to on a daily basis -- in order to fully break down. For that reason, it’s a bit inaccessible, so not our favorite floss material. 

Silk

Silk farms exist mostly in hot climates like Thailand, but must be kept at 65 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal cocoon production, which means they end up using an immense amount of energy for air conditioning. The humidity control and steaming systems required in production are also energy suckers. Every geographic region has a unique “energy mix”, which is the combination of primary energy sources used in meeting the region’s needs. A given region’s energy mix can come from a combination of fossil fuels (think oil and coal), nuclear energy, and renewable energy (like wind and solar). Due to the location of most silk factories, the energy required for silk production likely comes from coal-fueled plants, which release more greenhouse gasses per unit of energy generated than any other source. There are ethical issues with this material too; PETA reports that about 3,000 silkworms must be killed to make one pound of silk. 

Despite silk’s flaws, we’d choose it over nylon floss most days. Silk floss is typically coated in a vegetable-based wax (like candelilla wax) rather than PFAS, and is biodegradable, so when it ends up in the ocean (which floss often does), it will more likely break down over time. 

Ingredients

PFAS

PFAS are synthetic chemicals that are very stable in the environment and thus take a long time to break down (which is why they’re known as “forever chemicals”). They have some very useful properties, including their ability to make things waterproof and slick, and are often found in non-stick cookware, fast-food wrappers, and... dental floss. PFAS allow dental floss to easily slide between your teeth, but they also happen to be toxic chemicals linked to heart disease and cancer

Candelilla Wax

Candelilla wax is a vegetable wax derived from the leaves of the Candelilla plant, which grows in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. While the wax itself is a great alternative to artificial coating like PFAS, the manufacturing process required to produce the wax can be dangerous. To extract the wax, Candelilla plants are placed in iron cauldrons with a mixture of water and sulfuric acid, which can cause burns, injury, and blindness. The fact that many people who work with candelilla wax do not receive proper personal protective equipment before handling this chemical makes it all the more dangerous. 

Packaging

When you think of floss containers, you probably think of those pesky little plastic dispensers with a metal cutter. Unfortunately, those plastic containers are pervasive and pretty hard to recycle due to the fact that they’re rarely marked with recycling info and almost always contain those tiny metal pieces. For this reason, we’re really into the newer, increasingly popular, and endlessly reusable glass floss containers. If you need a disposable packaging option and have the ability to swing the extra cost, opt for a paper package. 

End of life

Never flush your floss down the toilet (even if it’s made of biodegradable materials like silk and bamboo). While floss and other items can accidentally find their way into our pipes and have detrimental effects on our systems, intentionally flushing floss guarantees this. To dispose of floss properly, put it directly into the trash -- floss cannot be recycled. And as with everything, be conscious of how much floss you’re using. 

Fun Fact

The US alone goes through about 3 million miles of floss per year -- that’s equivalent to the mileage of more than 1,075 one-way road trips between New York and LA.

Certifications

Here are some certifications to look for when shopping this category.

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Floss

Made from 100% plant-based PLA and candelila wax. And, as they say, nothing more. :)

Delicious Mint

This floss is slightly thicker than your average, but it definitely does the trick and made with 85% rexcycled polyester from plastic water bottles

Zero Waste Floss

This floss is fluoride-free, gluten-free, and ships plastic-free.

Refillable Floss

Comes in mighty mint, smooth cinnamon and velvety vanilla. Yum!

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Scrubby Floss

Free of PFAS and made without petroleum-based wax

Mix'n Match

This floss is made of food-grade silicone so totally reusable. And before you get grossed out...don't you use the same toothbrush every day?

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