Every year, we produce about 300 million tons of plastic waste. Most of it, according to the United Nations, is from single-use plastic products.
For a solution to this worldwide problem, look no further than Lindsay McCormick’s Bite, a zero-waste oral care company. The CEO remembers seeing the consequences of pollution while growing up surfing and snowboarding.
“It was through being in the water and seeing more and more plastic wash up onto my board and being in the mountains and understanding the projections of how the winter seasons are changing over our lifetime,” McCormick says, that made her aware of what we are up against.
Her concern was further solidified as a television producer. Even before the inception of Bite, McCormick created documentaries about global warming and sustainability. While on a business trip, a light bulb sparked in her mind. After months of constant traveling and throwing away traveled sized toothpaste, she realized that despite living an otherwise sustainable life, she was still making a huge impact on the environment through the waste of this day-to-day essential.
Bite was born out of necessity and with the mission to make the best sustainable products on the market. As a trailblazer in the sustainable dental care market with the first dry tablet toothpaste, McCormick took Bite in front of the judges at Shark Tank. She successfully obtained an offer from Mark Cuban, but, to the shock of many, said no. It was more important to maintain her company’s integrity.
The leap of faith ended up paying off.
“I had no idea at the time that we would go on to have one of the biggest years we have ever had,” she says. “And I looked back on that deal and thought ‘Wow that would’ve been a really big opportunity for Mark Cuban.’”
Starting out as just a dental care brand, Bite has now broadened the company’s offerings to include a wide range of personal hygiene products. Given Bite stands for Because It’s The Earth, first on their list was to tackle deodorant. Perfect for sensitive skin, it comes in an aluminum case that is refilled via compostable paperboard.
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Part of the reason Bite expanded its product selection was because so many sustainable deodorants were hard to use.
“A lot of these products are made by people that aren’t actually using them every day, and they aren’t actually solving it long term,” McCormick says. “So, I think that’s our superpower as a company because we actually all use these products. We can find these issues and actually make our products better.”
Bite products are not only easy to use and eco-friendly, but they are also natural and vegan. It comes as no surprise that Bite has so many loyal, raving customers. McCormick’s favorite review she regularly hears is that “It was weird at first, but now I’m obsessed.”
One of Bite’s greatest impacts is that it has the ability to show people that they can transition toward a more sustainable lifestyle. And at the end of the day, creating products that are easy to use and good for the environment is McCormick’s main goal. Her biggest tip is to look at the high-frequency items in your life that produce a lot of waste and try to see what you can do to make those items more sustainable.
“Start small and do things that don't feel like a compromise, because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed; when you try to do everything at once you end up stopping,” McCormick says.
“There’s never been a better time or more important time to start a business that is solving these problems we are all up against,” she explains. “I think the real innovation and change will come from small businesses.”
Photography by: Courtesy Bite/ Lindsay McCormick
