It's doing that by partnering with LiquiGlide, a company spun out of MIT's Varanasi Research Group, on a new toothpaste tube with a coating designed to avoid any waste.
Millions of tons of products, from lotion to laundry detergent, are thrown out each year because they get stuck inside of their packaging, according to LiquiGlide, with 1-13% of toothpaste going to waste per tube. Colgate is only selling its toothpaste tubes with this special coating in Europe right now. It's not clear if there are plans to sell it in the United States.
While this is the first time consumers can buy a product of this kind, Varanasi and LiquiGlide's other co-founder, Dave Smith, told CNN their technology could be used for anything from lotion to cream cheese. Regardless of the product, they say it's safe for people to use.