life cycle assessment of disposable razors life cycle assessment of disposable razors

The LMA, within the heat seal pouch, was then placed in the steam autoclave sterilizing machine (Castle/Getinge MC 3522). Silver Spring, MD: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002, 26. Chicago: American Medical Association, 2006, 27. Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK Ref: ISBN 1844324273, LIT 2080 PDF, 1.83 MB, 203 pages This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. 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. SimaPro is our flagship product: life cycle assessment software that gives sustainability experts, product designers and decision-makers the power to gain insight into the environmental performance of products and services, to define hotspots and to drive positive change. LCA is the most common tool for quantifying the environmental effects associated with a product, process, or service's entire life (Baumann and Tillman 2004).LCA was performed in accordance with the international standards of the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 . Life cycle assessment, according to ISO 14040/44, is conducted in four steps [29,30,31]: (1) goal and scope definition, (2) life cycle inventory, (3) life cycle impact assessment, and (4) interpretation. Since BICs products do not go to a single location it is impossible to give an exact number for BICs energy usage in transportation. Composition Assumptions for Disposable and Reusable Largyngeal Mask Airways (LMAs). Previous studies have examined the relative environmental profiles of reusables and disposables with regard to medical textiles7 and anesthetic drug trays.8 The present study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the life cycle impacts of disposable and reusable LMAs across several categories of environmental and human health impacts. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for analyzing the environmental impacts and resources used throughout a product's life, from raw materials extraction to production, and extending through product use and disposal. Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide). Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly(p-phenylene_oxide). : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts.ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. After the parts are manufactured it is time for the final product assembly. Contribution: This author helped design the study and prepare the manuscript. American Medical Association (AMA). However, the LCA is not an exact science and has its limitations: How Long Will It Take That Bag of Trash to Decompose in a Landfill?The Balance Small Business, The Balance Small Business, 22 Oct. 2019, www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033#plastic-waste. Main methodological choices . The LCA is broken into four stages: Defining the goal and scope how much of a product's lifecycle will be addressed, the reasons for carrying out the assessment, the intended audience, and the intended end-use [] A 2005 analysis published by U.K. Anaesthesia 2007;62:3814, 5. van Zundert AAJ, Fonck K, Al-Shaikh B, Mortier E. Comparison of the LMA-Classic with the new disposable soft seal laryngeal mask in spontaneously breathing adult patients. We perform Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Critical Reviews in accordance with ISO 14040/44 for products and services. 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. How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use of TCE Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee. 2017. Terracycle is a company that was created to address the issue of recyclable products that often end up in landfills. By raising awareness and creating locations where one can drop off used razors for recycling, perhaps a change can come. 1. Bic Disposable Razor (1975). Plastics News Europe, 19 Nov. 2009, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975. Manufacturer specifications indicate 20 kWh of electricity use for a 5-minute cycle at 135C. To aid in solving this issue, I believe consumers should stray away from wasteful disposable razors and be encouraged to go with more sustainable and longer lasting options such as classic safety razors. The Eco-Indicator method is a tool developed to help designers conduct a simplified LCA study. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. endstream endobj 752 0 obj <>stream Ans: (i) Significant growth in industry of super premium segment . Several clinical trials comparing function and ease of placement demonstrated no significant difference between disposable and reusable versions,25 allowing hospitals to base purchase decisions on economic considerations alone. Finally, the razors are packaged in cardboard and plastic, and shipped out to stores and markets globally for customers to purchase and use. The blades, which are made from a carbide steel made using tungsten carbide, the handle, which is made from a combination of plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide (PPO), and the cartridge, which is made up of these plastics and sometimes the carbide steel as well (Safety Razor, madehow.com). 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 Mach3 Disposable Razors for Men, 6 Count, Designed for Sensitive Skin. In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included. BIC says its product beats out other models by 59 percent. To go from raw materials to final product involves many steps and heavy energy input. Anaesth Intensive Care 2010;38:538, 9. Each year in Italy, millions of tons of fruits and vegetables are harvested, packed and transported to national and foreign retail outlets. In addition to traditional criteria for the selection and purchase of medical devices that include safety, efficacy, and cost, 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 product selection process. Tungsten carbide is a carbide compound, made up of equal parts of tungsten and carbon. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. This break-even point will change depending on the category of environmental impact being considered. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. They are resins that maintain a high dimensional stability, which helps create fast and cheap plastic razor handles (Safety Razor). With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. The alloy must allow for easy manufacturing due to the high demand of disposable razors and enough strength to last through transportation and shelf holding. . Facilities that select reusable devices should implement inventory and operating procedures that ensure that devices are reused to the greatest possible extent. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. The use of disposable razors is unsustainable with our growing population and increased demand. The processes that contribute to these emissions differ markedly between the 2 LMA devices. PPO elements of the disposable razor are hard to determine in years, however, data shows that most plastic items take up to 1,000 years to begin to decompose (LeBlanc). The advantage of using this method compared to a more comprehensive LCA method is that its much simpler to carry out and to gather the required information because the data regarding the most common materials and processes has been collected in advance. The carbon alloy allows for the metal to be strong enough to be exposed to high levels of moisture without corroding, yet brittle enough to be made into thin blades for a multiple blade razor (Safety Razor). Reusable LMAs in general appear to be made largely of silicone, lacking these same concerns for PVC/DEHP. The metal that can be used in the cartridge is also cut out during this stage. Rogers, Tony. Chu L, Mathur P, Trudell J, Brock-Utne J. The product has several innovative elements, due to the implementation of eco-design principles, such as: (1) introduction of biopolymers (namely polylactic acid (PLA) and Mater-bi), (2) relevant . Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) Hazard Summary. The environmental effects of labor are often omitted from life cycle assessment studies, but are included here as part of the sensitivity analysis. Metal materials are sent for smelting and conversion to new alloys (Terracycle). Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. At 20 reuse cycles,16 the results indicate an increase in emissions of nearly 20%. Cited Here. Such an analysis is commonly performed using life cycle assessment. Reprints will not be available from the authors. The body of both razors had similar impact as their weights were also quite similar. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment.The Great Recovery, www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Packaging for the Distribution of Italian Fruit and Vegetables. `""(w The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and decreasing liabilities. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts. ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. Features Downloads. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens The studies have not found it to be harmful to drinking water, or public safety, however, it is an ongoing research of soil data that continues. These few simple materials go through processes of heating, cooling, moulding, cutting, and sharpening throughout their manufacturing process to eventually become the handle, razor blades, and blade cartridge, that will then be assembled to become a disposable razor. 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. 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations 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. Tungsten Carbide. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten_carbide. Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation. Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation | Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, www.bts.gov/content/energy-consumption-mode-transportation. Address e-mail to [emailprotected]. On the basis of such criteria, single-use disposable medical devices are increasingly supplanting reusable devices in the United States (US) and elsewhere.1 Although purchase and maintenance costs for disposable devices are perceived to be less than for reusables, this fails to account for indirect costs to society from the environmental impacts attributable to the entire life cycle of a device. E-LCA is a time tested assessment technique that evaluates environmental performance throughout the life cycle of a product or from performing a service. LMA Classic Product Specifications, 2011, 10. When designing a product for circularity it is often difficult to know where to begin. 3. 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. It is used in razor manufacturing mainly due to its high heat and water resistance, making it ideal for the conditions the product is used in. Williams S, Henderson K. A survey into the number of times laryngeal masks are used. Sustainable Development at BIC . 6 Jan. 2011. An exact number for the energy use for BIC was not obtained. Kaplan, Desire. Buy Now. What Is Polystyrene? In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. "Tungsten Processing." This is where the razors are portioned into their desired packaging amounts, that will be sent off to consumers. Lippiatt BC, Boyles AS. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . This project is a collaboration between the Great Recovery Programme and Fab Lab London. This is where most of the complexity of an LCA is involved. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. These steps are not necessarily conducted in succession, but iteratively. Phase 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment. In the case of the disposable razor however, it is fairly simple due to its nature. In landfilling or incinerating this part, the large amount of energy and material value used in creating it is lost. Siddle, Dave. The plastic handle and head of the disposable razor consists of a hybrid of polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide, also known as PPO. Anaesth Intensive Care 2004;32:5304, 4. This assessment is exceptionally useful as it shows the designer what areas are the most impactful during the products life cycle. 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. Life cycle assessment software I used GaBi 6 software, produced by PE International. Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. What Is Tungsten Carbide?" The total energy consumption of the Babyplast in its four-step molding cycle of setup, fill, cool, and reset was approximately 4.5 kilowatts (Weissman et.al). 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. The cheap price of the razor does not reflect the high cost of its waste and impact on the environment. In this case its much harder for me to carry out an LCA on a Gillette razor than if Gillette did the LCA themselves, as they would have all the correct info required first-hand (reducing the number of assumptions needing to be used). Contact Supplier. Here we present a life cycle assessment of 2 laryngeal mask airways (LMAs), a one-time-use disposable Unique LMA and a 40-time-use reusable Classic LMA. Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS).Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS), www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-ps-plastic. Despite the overall lower impacts of the reusable LMA, there are still several ways that its environmental profile could be improved, as suggested by the results shown in Table 2. The tungsten carbide is then ground into an extremely fine powder in a wet mill process, where metal binders and other metals such as cobalt may be added to increase the metals strength and durability and to help hold the powder together when it is shaped. 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. In addition, the impact categories of eutrophication (growth of microorganisms due to excess nutrients) and terrestrial ecotoxicity reflect the impacts on other species and ecosystems and have implications for public health. Tungsten Carbide. Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 17 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/tungsten-carbide. Innovative and strategic advisor to leading philanthropies, corporates, governments, international institutions and NGOs. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and a reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries Leiden A, Cerdas F, Noriega D, Beyerlein J, Herrmann C. Life cycle assessment of a disposable and reusable surgery instrument set for spinal fusion surgeries. J Environ Assess Policy Manage 2000;2:45376, 2. Each time the steam autoclave machine conducts a sterilizing cycle, a large amount of energy is used to heat the steam. The next step the blade goes through is called polishing in which is done using strops made out of cowhide to get the desired blade edge shape, the blade is then cut into the sizes of the individual blades, which are then sent off to be inspected. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. 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. 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). B|$5 BIC reported that the weight of one of their most popular disposable razors is 8.8 grams (Shavers). 2 offers from $9.92. And then there's the water. Siddle, Dave. Life cycle analysis takes into account the following categories: Energy consumption Water consumption Air emissions (including carbon dioxide and other global warming gases) Water emissions Generation of solid waste Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. Biro P. Damage to laryngeal masks during sterilization. This is known as a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) This can be extremely complex because it can involve dozens of separate processes, as well as hundreds of tracked substances. Overcash M. Comparison of reusable and disposable medical textiles. HUO0NpnaJd@"&u[kj-+8=WU\*w)OMYb_ry> 1F3 nyNnb 0 Its an extremely strong and durable metal compound, making it perfect for the use of razor blades (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?; Tungsten Carbide. Wikipedia.org). 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. Technical Fact Sheet-Tungsten.Technical Fact Sheet- Tungsten, EPA, Jan. 2014, www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/ffrrofactsheet_contaminant_tungsten_january2014_final.pdf. Alternate assumptions were used to test model sensitivity and to create bounds to aid interpretation of the results (Table 2). There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. The next step is to temper the steel at a temperature of 482-752F (250- 400C) and pressed into thin sheets (Safety Razor, madehow.com). This study assumed no difference between the devices in terms of clinical efficacy or time for placement.4 Disposable LMAs were discarded in regular municipal solid waste bins after use. Once in the landfill, it usually takes around 20-30 years to breakdown. Comparative environmental and human health (HH) impacts for disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways (LMA), Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) impact assessment method. Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution - Life Cycle Initiative Our news to your inbox Click to subscribe to LC Net info@lifecycleinitiative.org About Us Our Activities & Tools Reports & Training News & Events Get Involved Life Cycle Approach to Plastic Pollution Activities Life Cycle Assessment in High-Impact sectors What IS Life Cycle Assessment? Put the blades in the steel recycling section. 4.Complete the form Several waste management scenarios were also considered, including 100% landfilling and 100% incineration, because practices are highly location dependent. Policy H-135.945: Encouraging Alternatives to PVC/DEHP Products in Health. We are proud that it is among the leading professional LCA software . 769 0 obj <>stream Introduction Paper diapers are roughly divided into two types: those for infants and those for adults. Highly effective in driving partnerships, public policies and projects that accelerate the shift towards a sustainable built environment. Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . However, the viability of the disposable razor is always thrown into question because of the sheer amount of resources that it expends. However, because of the new awareness to their wasteful impact on the environment, some companies have begun to provide solutions to the disposable razor issue. 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. During a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), environmental impacts are evaluated throughout the entire life cycle of a product (production, use and disposal or recovery).This also includes the upstream and downstream processes associated with production (e.g., the production of .