Plastic-free oral care challenger Pärla has been revealed as a winner of the 2025 Sky Zero Footprint Fund, which rewards green-minded brands.
The win means the startup will launch a campaign across Sky TV, supported by £200k ad spend from the broadcaster. It will also put Pärla in the running to bag a further £500k of ad spend later this year.
The brand submitted its application to the Footprint Fund in May and was shortlisted in June as one of nine finalists, alongside confectioner Tony’s Chocolonely, environmental action NGO Wrap, and refillable deodorant maker Fussy.
As part of the final stage, Pärla delivered a 10-minute pitch highlighting its brand, sustainability mission and creative idea. It resulted in the business being named as one of three winners in the fund’s disruptors category.
Over coming months, Pärla plans to work with creative agency Green, Black & White. It will then present its completed ad in November in a cinema setting for the fund’s Grand Prix Final – competing against five other brands for a chance to win a further £500k in ad spend.
Pärla expects its TV ad to go live on Sky in either late 2025 or early 2026.
“We are incredibly proud to win the Sky Zero Footprint Fund,” said Simon Chard, one the brand’s three founders. “This recognition is a win for the future of sustainable oral care. Our mission is to prove high-performance, science-led products don’t need to cost the planet. With Sky’s support, we can now take our 100% plastic-free oral care to millions more people across the UK. It’s a huge milestone in our journey toward a cleaner, healthier future.”
This year’s fund finalists “truly raised the bar”, said Sarah Jones, director of planning at Sky Media. “From big brands leading the sustainability conversation, to charities and challenger brands with bold ideas, the quality and creativity of the pitches blew us away.”
Pärla’s announcement comes just weeks after the brand expanded its plastic-free portfolio with its first toothpaste tubes. Enamel Protect (£6.95), Bio Balance (£9.95) and Pro Whitening (£10.95) are available now in a 75ml aluminium tube. The lineup is scheduled to roll into Waitrose next month.
It joins other plastic-free Pärla lines such as Toothpaste Tabs and Mouthwash Tabs in jars, and a 100% plant-based toothbrush.
The brainchild of dentistry doctors Chard, Rhona Eskander and Adarsh Thanki, Pärla made its debut in 2019. It now boasts about 38,000 online customers and listings in the likes of Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Boots.
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