What if one small change to your daily routine could help prevent tonnes of plastic from going to landfill each year? That’s the thinking behind Fongky, a reusable toothbrush system designed to cut waste without cutting corners.
The idea came from Auckland-based founder Gavin Fong, who saw an opportunity to rethink an everyday product for the better. Working closely with Gavin, Blender helped transform that simple but powerful concept into a market-ready product that’s sustainable, cost-effective, and built to last.
EXPERTISE
- Industrial Design
- Mechanical Engineering
- Prototyping
- Design for Manufacture
- Manufacturing Support
CHALLENGE
Breaking the cycle of throwaway design
Gavin Fong runs PlusPac Packaging Ltd, a packaging company based in Auckland. He’s long been an advocate for more responsible use of plastics, and through his role on the board of Plastics New Zealand, he helps lead initiatives that encourage smarter, more sustainable choices, both for businesses and everyday consumers.
In early 2023, Gavin approached Blender with his toothbrush idea. The concept was simple – create a toothbrush that only needed its head replaced, used recycled plastic for the handle, and could be easily recycled at the end of its life.
In New Zealand alone, tens of millions of plastic toothbrushes go to landfill each year. While dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every three months, it’s usually the whole thing that ends up in the bin, not just the part that’s worn out.
So why aren’t standard toothbrushes being recycled? The main reason is because most are made from a mix of plastics, often with soft grips moulded onto hard handles. They might look good on the supermarket shelf, but those mixed materials are almost impossible to recycle. Once they’re fused together, they’re destined for landfill.
Designing something better meant going right back to the beginning, rethinking not just the materials, but the entire product from the ground up. That’s where Blender came in.
APPROACH
Form, function, and fewer materials
The idea was simple: make a toothbrush that cuts down waste without cutting corners. But bringing that to life meant rethinking how toothbrushes are made, and why they’ve stayed the same for so long.
The Blender design team kicked things off by pulling apart dozens of existing brushes to figure out what was essential, what was added for aesthetics, and what was just tradition.
“The team looked closely at how people actually hold and use a toothbrush,” says lead designer Tiger Guo. “There’s a bit of variation, but most people grip them the same way, so we designed a form that felt familiar – lightweight, comfortable, and with just enough shape to guide your thumb.”
“The trickier part was designing the removable head,” says Tiger. “It had to be easy to swap out but also lock in securely without wobbling or coming loose. That meant trialling a range of clip concepts and carefully refining the fit to make sure the head clicked in securely and stayed put.”
One detail that’s easy to overlook is how colour affects plastic. Different pigments can cause the material to shrink slightly differently as it cools during moulding. “Since the handle and the head could be made in different colours, we had to make sure that every colour combination still fit together perfectly. It’s a small detail, but one that takes experience, and a fair bit of testing, to get right.”
OUTCOME
Smart, simple, and sustainable
The result is a toothbrush that feels familiar in the hand but works in a smarter way. By replacing only the bristle head, around 85% less plastic is used with each refresh, without any compromise to performance, comfort or usability.
The handle is made from a single recycled plastic and is designed to last. It’s durable, lightweight, and fully recyclable at end of life. The replaceable heads are compact and easy to clip in, creating a satisfying, secure fit. Together, the system makes it easy for people to reduce waste, without having to change their brushing habits or spend more at the checkout.
Fongky isn’t trying to reinvent oral care, it’s just doing it better. A small, thoughtful change to a daily routine that adds up to something much bigger over time.
