life cycle assessment of disposable razorslife cycle assessment of disposable razors

A combination of transportation methods is used depending on where the product needs to go. Reusable LMAs in general appear to be made largely of silicone, lacking these same concerns for PVC/DEHP. The life cycle impacts of the disposable and reusable LMA options are shown in Figure 2 for all impact categories, on the basis of data from Yale New Haven Hospital. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. 2. These benefits must be weighed against concerns regarding transmission of infection. . Certain practices would further reduce the environmental impacts of reusable LMAs, such as increasing the number of devices autoclaved in a single cycle to 10 (25% GHG emissions) and improving the energy efficiency of the autoclaving machines by 10% (8% GHG emissions). Here's How to Keep Your Razors from Contributing to Landfill Waste. USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/07/landfill-waste-how-prevent-disposable-razor-plastic-pollution/1943345001/. Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide). Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly(p-phenylene_oxide). One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). h[K#1}\$u@ Properly Recycle Your Disposable Razors | Leafygreen.info These results suggest that the reusable LMA Classic has fewer life cycle impacts in comparison with the disposable LMA Unique at Yale New Haven Hospital, across several categories of concern. Due to the nature of the disposable razor, they are usually just thrown in the trash and sent off to a landfill. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Sustainability Assessment - Fraunhofer #3. The metal used for the razor blades is called Tungsten Carbide which is used in wear applications, such as shaving (Safety Razor). After reaching the end of their useful lives, both LMAs and their respective packages entered waste management, which was modeled using US average statistics on recycling/composting, landfilling, and incineration.15 Although some incineration facilities also produce electricity, this credit is not included here. Phase 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Manufacturer specifications indicate 20 kWh of electricity use for a 5-minute cycle at 135C. The final product is then gathered and prepared to go through the final step which is the packaging of razors. Polypropylene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene. Life Cycle Assessment Study single use vs. multiple use They have teamed up with Gillette to raise awareness about the massive waste of disposable razors by allowing users to mail their old razors in to be recycled. Gillette Plastic Disposable Shaving Kit supermax, for Hotel. There are three main materials used in the plastic handle and the cartridge of the disposable razor. This means, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually within the United States, each razor will be on the planet longer than the people who used them. Main methodological choices . Life Cycle Assessment: Disposable paper cups by Shanice Robbins Small components such as inks and labels on the packaging and on the sterilization indicator strips are expected to have negligible impacts and were excluded from the analysis. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 rev, 25. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. Disposable Blood Warmer Market 2023-2030 Future Forecasts Safety Razor. How Products Are Made www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Waste is not only a problem when a product is disposed of, but also when it is initially manufactured. More immediate levels of waste, however, happen during the processing of disposable razors before they are even brought to the buyer and the landfill. The cartridge-based razor had a slightly higher impact due to the rubber parts which cant be separated from the plastic body. They have also reduced shipping time, by only sending the blades from Greece to Mexico to optimize the tools and products available in each location, instead of having all the materials shipped to each factory. Nash, Nathaniel C. HOW BIC LOST THE EDGE TO GILLETTE. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. The blade is made from a tungsten steel, and carbon alloy. 3 Ways to Recycle Safety Razor Blades - wikiHow Life (PDF) A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable - academia.edu A comparative cradle to grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to determine and analyze the environmental impacts of using disposable acrylic speculums versus using reusable stainless-steel speculums in a women's university health clinic where around 5,000 pelvic exams are conducted on a yearly basis. #4. Holes are then punched into the metal and the tapelike sheets of razors are then put in a roll (Manufacturing Processes). xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 The Great Recovery was a project by the RSA working with Innovate UK which ran between 2012 and 2016. Figure: Life Cycle Assessment steps: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment and interpretation (Sala et al., 2016) In the goal and scope phase, the aims of the study are defined, namely the intended application, the reasons for carrying out the study and the intended audience. Define the Life-cycle This is an example of a simple product life-cycle diagram. The 2 LMA options are nearly equivalent in terms of eutrophication impacts, but with different contributions. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing the potential environmental aspects and potential aspects associated with a product (or service), by: compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs, evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs, Experience spanning from the market-leading environment and climate practice of a global top 10 law firm - to leading Europe's largest . 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. Sets Strategy to End 'Staggering' Garbage Crisis.The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Sept. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/09/23/us/epa-sets-strategy-to-end-staggering-garbage-crisis.html. What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? | iPoint-systems Accessed 28 Nov. 2019. www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/07/landfill-waste-how-prevent-disposable-razor-plastic-pollution/1943345001/, http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/polyphenylene-oxides, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminant_tungsten_january2014_final.pdf, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/, www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/reducing-trichloroethylene-tce-waste-fabricated-metals-sector, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF, BEHR Oil Based Interior/Exterior Primer and Sealer, California Academy of Sciences Living Roof Life Cycle, UC Davis Social Sciences and Humanities Building, A-Z List for Digital & Electronics Topics. This makes it an easy and quick method to start the analysis of a product and aid the designer when creating alternative concepts which are more environmentally friendly, because they can clearly identify what areas need improvement and which ones work well already. (i)What changes occurring in non-disposable Razor category? If you count the actual razor cover (if you haven't lost it long ago) then it will be four pieces for recycling. The alloy is strong enough to resist moisture for a short time in the buyers shower, yet, in the landfill, it does eventually rust and decompose. The data collected through LCA helps organizations make conscious decisions that affect the environment. For a number of perioperative textiles, surgical instruments, and anesthetic devices, a life cycle assessment (LCA) has been done and has shown reusables to be environmentally favorable to disposables [ 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 ]. The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. What does a business area's assessment of agreements, income, and value implicate? American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Task Force on Infection Control. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. (ii)Access paramount's competitive position? The natural half life of a large stock of reusable laryngeal mask airways at a teaching hospital. The EPA has said in their 2014 report: Currently, little information is available about the fate and transport of tungsten in the environment and its effects on human health. Bic did have an increase in non-hazardous waste due to: expansion work or renovation of buildings or development of new products and manufacturing equipment (For You For Everyone: Registration Document, Bic) For carbon footprint assessments for large companies, they are assessed on direct (scope 1) emissions and indirect (scope 2) emissions of greenhouse gases. Being that it is such a common and quickly replaced product, this is is a major issue in terms of waste. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Solid Waste Management Consultants In landfilling or incinerating this part, the large amount of energy and material value used in creating it is lost. With the amount of waste accumulated from the factories and the bulk of the razors ending up in landfills and oceans, a low price of $1 removes the buyer from how high the cost on the environment a disposable razor is. What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal? AZoM.com, 2 Aug. 2009, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4827. Chu L, Mathur P, Trudell J, Brock-Utne J. LMA North America. Highlights Environmental LCA - Life Cycle Initiative Clean Edge, Non Disposable razor case study analysis - SlideShare Gillette's slogan 'Gillette - the best a man can get' is famous the world over. There is always some level of uncertainty in the results and in the methodology; so users shouldnt take the numbers shown as absolute values, but more as a guide to prioritise work. Applying this method of assessment is complex and difficult and translating the theory into a . 3.Quantify the materials and processes Life Cycle Assessment - Sustainability Guide B|$5 Growing awareness of the negative impacts from the practice of health care on the environment and public health calls for the routine inclusion of life cycle criteria into the decision-making process of device selection. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Disposable Bioreactors Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. The life cycle of plastics Life cycle assessment (LCA) considers the environmental aspects associated with a product over its lifespan. %%EOF A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. Life Cycle Assessment explained: an introduction to building LCA J Environ Assess Policy Manage 2000;2:45376, 2. Therefore, to help designers get started and make informed decisions, a Life cycle Analysis (LCA) can be carried out using the information gathered during the research stage. Saudi J Anaesth 2008;2:58. Case Studies. Case Studies : Reducing BIC's Rejection Rates | KEYENCE America, www.keyence.com/solutions/case-studies/bic.jsp. We purchase the product in a store, use the product for removing unwanted body and facial hair until it eventually dulls, and then we toss it in the bathroom trash, unaware of where it goes or where it came from. Life of a Razor Blade - GreatRazors.com This points to the need for effective inventory control, which is also critical for the reusable devices because there needs to be a sufficient number clean and on hand while another batch is undergoing cleaning, sterilization, and cooling. The metal is then heated and then cooled slowly to remove any internal stress, which makes it tougher, this process is called annealing (Safety Razor). This obviously makes the results less accurate, but it can still be used as a general indicator of impact. The effect of alternate transport modes was quite small for the reusable LMA but quite significant for the disposable LMAs, leading to a large increase in GHG emissions in particular from air freight. Europe, Plastic News. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens The environmental impacts of the 2 LMAs were estimated using SimaPro life cycle assessment software and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability impact assessment method. BIC Group, 2016, For You For Everyone Registration Document. In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. On the basis of observation at Yale New Haven Hospital, it takes approximately 10 minutes to conduct all cleaning processes for 1 LMA, which is equivalent to roughly $3 in wages. Ison E, Miller A. When you take your blades in to the scrap metal center, choose the steel recycling bin. Amazon.com: Bulk Disposable Razors Atlanta, 2012. In life cycle assessment, the basis of comparison is called the functional unit. For this report, the functional unit of the disposable and reusable LMAs was taken to be maintenance of airway patency by 40 disposable LMAs or 40 uses of 1 reusable LMA. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) covers all relevant inputs from the environment (e.g., ores and crude oil, water, land use) as well as emissions into air, water and soil (e.g., carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides). In this post I havent shown the whole process, but there are downloadable links to my full Eco-Indicator results, and to the template form if youd like to carry out an assessment yourself. 3. Life Cycle Assessment | EcoAct Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. It is also often not accepted in curbside recycling, and even when it is, it is not separated and recycled when it reaches the dumping station, making it an unsustainable and wasteful material (Polystyrene. Wikipedia.org). In life cycle assessment, the basis of comparison is called the functional unit. For this report, the functional unit of the disposable and reusable LMAs was taken to be maintenance of airway patency by 40 disposable LMAs or 40 uses of 1 reusable LMA.9 Data collection was specific to Yale New Haven Hospital, including device transportation, cleaning procedures and labor, energy requirements, and disposal. Sensor3 disposable razors for men feature an enhanced Lubrastrip with water activated Comfortgel technology for ultra-gentle shaving on your sensitive skin. Life cycle environmental impacts of disposable medical masks endstream endobj startxref To create the metal compound, carbon is added to the purified tungsten in a complex chemical process where the materials are heated to over 2,200 degrees celsius. Gillette Sensor3 Sensitive Men's Disposable Razors : Target The high levels of pollution from disposable razor blades alone caused the EPA to claim a national garbage crisis in the late 1980s, and the actual figure of 2 billion razors thrown away every year dates back to the 1990s. Criteria air pollutants arise for the disposable LMA primarily from the production of ethylene (a polymer precursor) and the combustion of natural gas throughout the system, and for the reusable LMA from the combustion of fossil fuels to produce steam and electricity. A major flaw in the disposable razors design is in fact its inability to be sustainably and properly disposed, despite what its name suggests. Lippiatt BC, Boyles AS. Data is temporarily unavailable. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to estimate the total environmental impacts from producing a good or service. It has been assumed that the packaging contains cardboard, even though it has been made from other natural fibres like bamboo, as there is no info on those materials in the Eco-Indicator tables. Contribution: This author helped design the study and prepare the manuscript. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Disposable Bioreactors - BioProcess InternationalBioProcess International Upstream Processing Bioprocessing begins upstream, most often with culturing of animal or microbial cells in a range of vessel types (such as bags or stirred tanks) using different controlled feeding, aerating, and process strategies. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. A life cycle assessment or analysis according to ISO 14040/14044 is an instrument of environmental and sustainability management. Marvel Product Razor Lady Body Shaver Disposable Razore. :396?Qkt)e. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE | Science Inventory - US EPA Despite this, a general perception is that reusable LMAs possess a safety profile inferior to that of disposable LMAs, thus contributing to the proliferation of the latter. The life cycle for disposable razors must first be assessed by the products design. Additionally, the PVC-dominated material composition of the disposable LMA and associated packaging added significantly to its impacts. Once the plastic has cooled, the pieces are released from the moulds. GaBi is a LCA software that allows its users to connect environmental impacts to a product across its lifespan. A SYSTEMATIC METHODOLOGY FOR ACCURATE DESIGN-STAGE ESTIMATION OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION FOR INJECTION MOLDED PARTS. These containers, mainly wooden pallets and spools, are subject to European legislat Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US - Nature Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. Through an examination of how the raw materials: carbide steel, tungsten steel, and a combination of the plastics: polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide of the razors decompose, and how much waste is accumulated in making the razors, an assessment can be made for the duration of their life cycle. The steps in LCA are (1) goal and scope definition, (2) life cycle inventory analysis (LCI), (3) life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), and (4) interpretation of the results. Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. BIC said that around 98 percent of its intercompany product transfer was done by transportation methods that were not related to air-freight (For You For Everyone Registration Document). Where material types were unknown, proxies were assumed from relevant literature,2 although more detailed material information from suppliers would permit a more robust analysis. During production, two components have to be created which are the blade and the plastic body. In my research, I was not able to find specifics about where BIC sources their materials, I believe that this is due to them being a global company. BIC currently holds around 11 percent market share in disposable razors (Nash). Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Using Life Cycle Assessments to Understand Cloth vs. Disposables - BAHP Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/technology/tungsten-processing#ref82029. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Europa This reflects the equivalence between 40 disposable LMAs and their associated materials, waste, and 40 uses of 1 reusable LMA. The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again. Life Cycle Assessment - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics This break-even point will change depending on the category of environmental impact being considered. The designed short user-time of disposable razors, causes their life cycle to be spent mostly in the landfill where they will remain for hundreds of years due to non-biodegradable plastic, however, recycling the plastic and steel is possible if sent to specific recycling facilities, which could reduce the life cycle and negative impact on the environment. By raising awareness and creating locations where one can drop off used razors for recycling, perhaps a change can come. However, the viability of the disposable razor is always thrown into question because of the sheer amount of resources that it expends. Disposable razors are designed for consumers that prefer minimum spending . The plastic, however stable for the user, remains stable long after it is thrown away as well. There are three main components in a disposable razor. This is the fourth installment in a series of blogs in which weexplore how to design a product for circularity. Whereas transportation has a relatively significant GHG impact for the disposable LMAs, by comparison the transportation of reusable LMAs has little impact on GHG emissions, because 40 disposable LMAs must be shipped to provide an equivalent function to 1 reusable LMA. Once in the landfill, it usually takes around 20-30 years to breakdown. For You for Everyone Registration Document. Life cycle assessment Plastics Europe A 20-mL disposable syringe was used during device placement to inflate the cuffs of both types of LMAs to ensure proper fit, and a procedure was then performed. Environment Agency (Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the U.K.) investigated the impact of three diapering systems: cloth diapers with home wash, cloth diapers with commercial laundry, and disposable diapers. Most tungsten, about 85%, is extracted from various ores in China (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?). Thomas, G.P. All that is needed is the insertion of the razor blade into the plastic body. 2. Reusable LMAs were collected in a dirty device bin on the anesthesia cart and then reprocessed by the anesthesia technicians. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. I could however not find any details about the energy consumption of the machines used in the assembly process. The environmental effects of labor are often omitted from life cycle assessment studies, but are included here as part of the sensitivity analysis. BIC has reported their total energy usage and carbon footprint in their factories around the world, this was all however for the year 2016. Product Ecology (PR) Consultants. Please try after some time. Most of those razors just end up in a landfill because most countries are not recycling them. Erosion time for the blades was difficult to find, yet tungsten steel does erode faster than the plastic elements to the disposable razor due to the carbon alloys brittle makeup. PDF An updated lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies RSA Please enable scripts and reload this page. WC2N 6EZ, Redesigning the razor Life Cycle Assessment. Sustainable Development Report. The metal and plastic components of the cartridges will be assembled, where they will then go to the next station where the blades will be inserted. The sheets are then cut out using a process called die stamping, using a tool called a die stamp which is a special, one-of-a-kind precision tool that cuts and forms sheet metal into a desired shape or profile, where the blades are die stamped at a rate of 800-1,200 strokes a minute into the desired shape and size (Hedrick, Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping.). Our team of experts has many years of experience in the ecological evaluation of products and services. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. The remaining percentage is split up between energy consumption in their three facilities in: Clichy (France), Shelton (U.S.), and Cajamar (Brazil) (For You For Everyone: Registration Document, Bic). On the basis of manufacturer information and density testing, the materials used in the 2 LMAs were identified and their compositions measured using a microgram scale (Table 1). After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. Soulias M, Martin L, Garnier N, Juniot A, Aho L, Freysz M. Disposable vs reusable laryngeal mask airway: a cost-minimization analysis. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) - A Complete Guide to LCAs 2.Define the life-cycle In order to carry out the Eco-Indicator analysis method, the methodology described below has to be followed: 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations 2.Define the life-cycle 3.Quantify the materials and processes 4.Complete the form 5.Interpret and analyse the results The 1% of the material that is recycled however, goes through a 5 step recycling process which is collecting, sorting, cleaning, reprocessing, and producing new products. 4. Both were assumed to be transported to Los Angeles, CA, by container ship, and from there by truck to the company distribution center in San Diego, CA. By not using air travel and transport, BIC greatly reduces their energy usage and carbon footprint at the same time. Life Cycle Impact Assessment is the estimation of indicators of the environmental pressures in terms of e.g. An LCA is a life cycle assessment which is completed through research, testing and understanding of the environmental impacts a particular item creates through it's resources use/ production/distribution/disposal. E-LCA is a time tested assessment technique that evaluates environmental performance throughout the life cycle of a product or from performing a service. No such cases have been reported since 1976.a There is no reported case of iatrogenic infection of any type linked to a reusable LMA. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. For both environmental and cost considerations, management and operating procedures should be put in place to ensure that reusable LMAs are not discarded prematurely. Tungsten has a high melting point and is used mainly for strong tools unless used for smaller applications when combined with a carbon alloy: Its alloys are employed in rocket-engine nozzles and other aerospace applications (Safety Razors). Contribution: This author helped conduct the study and analyze the data. 2006 have considered a process water flow of 10,000 m3/day for a time period of 15 years (system design life) as the function unit used in order to compare the different wastewater treatment processes . Now that we understand the key challenges with the razors, and where the biggest impacts are occurring, we can begin to make informed decisions in the redesign. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product .
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