A research paper changed his life.

Sometimes, things happen by accident. A sudden awakening can change life forever. Just like that, Park’s life was changed completely and forever one day. “I worked as a dentist for two years after graduating from medical school. In 2008, I went to South Asia and Central Africa to help poverty-stricken people as a part of international relief efforts.”
One day, in Hula, Ethiopia, he met a poor minority ethnic community living in the bamboo forest. That was when he became interested in bamboo as a resource. Park started to read research papers on poverty-stricken communities that produce bamboo trees. One of the papers revealed shocking facts about the life of people residing in the largest bamboo-growing community in Vietnam. “The paper was about a bamboo-growing community in the northwest of Thanh Hoa Province in Vietnam. Average monthly household income was just USD 68, and local residents were enduring all sorts of suffering due to poverty. The author said if the underutilized resource that is widely grown in this area is turned into a source of income, 163,000 local residents can get out of poverty. If I can help solve this problem with 163,000 people getting out of poverty, isn’t it worth spending a lifetime on this?”
The first question he needed to answer was if bamboo was to be turned into a resource and then a high value-added product, what would it be. He searched ‘bamboo products’ online. Numerous bamboo products he had never heard of or seen before popped up and filled the screen. And one of them was a bamboo toothbrush. “Since I am a dentist, I assumed I could make nice toothbrushes. Looking back, I was naïve. I had no idea what it entailed to start a business. Ignorance is bliss(smiling). Anyway, that’s how I started the business.”

Eco-friendly bamboo toothbrushes that replaces non-biodegradable 18g plastic toothbrushes

Park founded Dr. NOAH with the hope of lending a helping hand to make the world better. Dr. NOAH is a social venture dedicated to addressing issues of the world as a business. He wants to help fight poverty and protect the environment by producing and selling bamboo products that can replace plastic products. Bamboo toothbrush making involves a woodworking process that is commonly known, whereby bamboo trees are cut, carved, trimmed, and polished. Tiny holes are drilled onto the bamboo stick and bristles are planted in. After trial and error, Park came up with the current production technique that ensures both production efficiency and product quality. His cumulative sales exceeded the one million mark last year, and the combined weight of the plastic toothbrushes that have been replaced by bamboo brushes so far is about 19,000kg. Dr. NOAH has imported 110 tons of bamboo trees from Vietnam to make one million brushes. This, in turn, has helped some 1,350 bamboo growers get out of poverty and become middle income earners. Dr. NOAH’s bamboo brushes have also been acclaimed for its excellent design by winning the world’s top three design awards of ‘IF’, ‘Reddot’, and ‘Good Design’. The initial grand plan to lift 163,000 people in Thanh Hoa from poverty by making and selling bamboo toothbrushes gradually turned into a humbler yet heartfelt yearning over time. “Someone once said that buying something is like casting your vote. The simple act of buying a product can lead to changing people’s lives. Saving Vietnamese people out of poverty is important and so is saving the Earth as well.” Park stresses that we should change the way our bathroom looks so that our precious planet continues to flourish and we can peacefully coexist with all the creatures that inhabit the planet for ages to come. “If you use a bamboo toothbrush, it replaces 18g of plastic. Using bamboo toothbrushes also helps bamboo-farming communities increase their income. With bamboo brushes, you can help build a sustainable future and catch three birds with one stone by using bamboo toothbrushes. Please try one out?”

A solution provider that thinks beyond the present

Dr. NOAH removes non-biodegradable elements from toothbrushes and toothpaste that we use every day, and instead adds nature-derived ingredients to offer safer and healthier oral care products. The toothbrush itself is made of all eco-friendly materials and coated with a plant-based natural material to improve durability. A small social venture alone cannot resolve all the plastic issues, but if large corporations that produce toothbrushes begin to sell bamboo brushes, it will make a significant difference. This is Dr. NOAH’s hope and faith. “For someone like me who has devoted most of my life as a dentist and international social activist, running a business is a tall order. Obviously, we have a long way to go as a business, but we will keep learning and concentrate our efforts and energy on promoting and selling bamboo toothbrushes. When more people use good products, it is more meaningful and makes a bigger difference.”
He realized how crucial it was to have access to clean water as he worked in South Asia and Central Africa many years ago. Some people even say that ‘development of public water supply and sewage system’, not advances in medical science is the No. 1 reason for the increased longevity of mankind. “I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to K-water employees. You are indeed doing work that is so important and meaningful to the public. No other resource is as precious as nature.” His plan is to make a bamboo toothbrush that is cheaper and better in quality than plastic toothbrushes by 2025, and provide a solution to help all the toothbrush companies worldwide produce bamboo ones. He wants to expand the scope of Dr. NOAH not only as a manufacturer but a solution provider. “You don’t necessarily have to be an environmental activist to save the Earth. You just need to have a love for your community and country. Let’s collectively think a little grander and show love for the Earth?” This is how Park, a global citizen who cares about people and the environment cares about the blue planet called Earth.

※ The interview was conducted in accordance with COVID-19 safety rules.

Dr. NOAH

Phone 02-856-2030

Website www.doctornoah.net