how our new USDA BioPreferred Certification sustains nature+you

Did you know that all of the Davids flavors are officially USDA certified biobased products? Meaning, they all sport the USDA BioPreferred Certification. 

Have no idea what that means?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone, and we’re going to cover all of the details in this article. But you have to admit, “biobased” and “biopreferred” sound like pretty important stamps of approval, right?

To get started on this topic, let’s go back to the basics. The root word “bio” means “life.” So naturally, “biobased” and “biopreferred” are labels for products derived from living things (plants, minerals, etc.), and they avoid the use of chemicals, fossil fuels, and other harmful materials.

We hope this is already reassuring, especially when it comes to toothpaste that you put into your mouth every single day. When it comes to everyday self-care, you want your products to be biocompatible, meaning they work well with your body’s living tissue. And they don’t cause your body to produce a toxic response.

You can rest assured knowing that Davids Natural Toothpaste is biobased, biopreferred, and biocompatible. In other words, we care deeply about sustaining nature+you.

what exactly is the USDA BioPreferred Certification?

The certification is a product of the USDA BioPreferred Program, which was created by the 2002 Farm Bill to generate new jobs in the farming industry and reduce our nation’s reliance on petroleum and other fossil fuels.

The program’s goal is to increase the use of biobased products which utilize ingredients derived from raw materials instead of fossil fuels. Some of these raw materials include plants and matter generated through renewable agriculture, marine systems, and forestry.

So far, biobased products are responsible for displacing 300 million gallons of petroleum every year in the U.S., the equivalent of removing 200,000 cars from our roads!

The program aims to prioritize our individual, economic, and environmental health. You can trust products (like Davids) that sport the USDA Certified Biobased Product label because it confirms that the product:

1. Contains a certain amount of renewable biological ingredients.
2. The contents of the biobased product are third-party certified.
3. The product is continuously and strictly monitored by the USDA.

In short, USDA certified biobased products are a vetted alternative to petroleum-based products! You can find the extensive biobased products list here.

 

are USDA certified biobased products better for the environment?

Because sustainability is such a complex topic, the answer to this question is not straightforward.

The USDA BioPreferred Certification may not guarantee that a product is safer for the environment, but it does certify that the product uses renewable resources over petroleum-derived resources. And we think that’s a great start!

Moving forward, our friends at the USDA are also committed to monitoring the environmental benefits of biobased products based on criteria such as the ones outlined below.

• carbon dioxide: biobased products come from living organisms, mostly plants (and in our case, only plants). Plants remove carbon from the atmosphere, while petroleum-derived products add carbon to the atmosphere. Even at their end of life, petroleum-based products can take thousands of years to decompose, adding more carbon to the atmosphere long after the products are done doing their job. Biobased products typically either remain in circulation (through recycling) or return to nature (through decomposition).
• energy: the growth of plant-based ingredients (like those found in Davids) requires the sun’s energy, while petroleum-based products utilize countless fossil fuels to power their operations.
• water: fossil-fuel-based products are usually made using natural gas which is typically extracted through fracking (an extremely destructive and water-intensive process). Companies that offer USDA certified biobased products are always looking for ways to reduce and reuse water supplies.
• end-of-life: is the product compostable or recyclable? Unlike petroleum-based products, biobased products do spend 1,000+ years in landfills after use. Instead, biobased products either remain in circulation (through easy reuse/recycling) or decompose in nature. This way, they’re not harming the environment all throughout their afterlife.

By continuing to monitor these factors, we can better understand the impacts of biobased vs. petroleum-derived products. Remaining diligent and informed about a product’s entire lifecycle is the best way to identify products that fortify the carbon cycle and promote the health of nature+you.

 

how does Davids Natural Toothpaste uphold these standards?

What makes Davids a USDA certified biobased product, and how does our natural toothpaste uphold the standards described above?

• natural ingredients: Davids replaces petroleum based ingredients with naturally sourced & naturally derived ingredients. What does that mean? Our ingredients come from plants and the earth, and they’re carefully processed to meet the strictest purity standards. We leave harmful petro base chemicals out of the equation…a great example of how sustainability isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for your body too. Not to mention, our natural ingredients all come from plant-based sources, so all of our flavors are 100% vegan! 
• USA-made with 98% USA-origin ingredients: this is important for many reasons. First, sourcing domestically allows us to stimulate the American economy. Second, it eliminates the need for us to ship ingredients around the world, so we reduce our overall carbon, water, and energy footprint.
• sustainable packaging: in a world that sends 1.5 billion plastic toothpaste tubes to landfills every year, we’re extra proud of our sustainable packaging. Not only does our toothpaste come in aluminum tubes that are infinitely recyclable, but our plastic caps and FSC certified paperboard boxes are also recyclable. On top of that, our metal tube keys can be returned (when you collect 20) for a free tube of toothpaste.

note: you can request to buy Davids without the plastic cap, metal tube key, or paperboard box. When placing an order on our website, just enter the following message(s) on Line 2 of the address field at checkout:

***REMOVE CAP***

***REMOVE TUBE KEY***

***REMOVE BOX***

And there you have it! A natural toothpaste that has always been committed to sustaining nature+america+you. The USDA BioPreferred Certification is just an extra reminder of that!

 

buy now.