life cycle assessment of disposable razors

A combination of transportation methods is used depending on where the product needs to go. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. London 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. Saudi J Anaesth 2008;2:58. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. Being that it is such a common and quickly replaced product, this is is a major issue in terms of waste. Metal materials are sent for smelting and conversion to new alloys (Terracycle). Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, 16. your express consent. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. Direct emissions refer to any emissions that resulted from the burning of fossil fuels and Indirect emissions refer to any emissions that resulted from the generation of electricity. 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. To go from raw materials to final product involves many steps and heavy energy input. A 2005 analysis published by U.K. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . Overview. 2. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a framework for assessing the environmental impacts of product systems and decisions. A SYSTEMATIC METHODOLOGY FOR ACCURATE DESIGN-STAGE ESTIMATION OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION FOR INJECTION MOLDED PARTS. Int Anesthesiol Clin 2010;48:139, 24. The reusable LMA was found to have a more favorable environmental profile than the disposable LMA as used at Yale New Haven Hospital. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) measures the impact of products on the environment. 2.Define the life-cycle Highly effective in driving partnerships, public policies and projects that accelerate the shift towards a sustainable built environment. qILL@#nO @8 Polystyrene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene. 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. This was a cradle-to-grave study that included inputs and outputs for the manufacture, transport, use, and waste phases of the LMAs. Anesth Analg 2012;114:105566, 8. BIC is a French manufacturing company that produces a variety of disposable consumer products like pens, lighters and disposable razors. The majority (77%) of life cycle CO2e emissions for the reusable LMA is from natural gas production and combustion to produce steam for the autoclave machine. The mixed plastics used in most of the razor take hundreds of years to break down in landfill, and the blades, while the metal is recyclable if separated from the rest of the product, poses a safety hazard for both the consumer and the employees who handle recyclables. Nash, Nathaniel C. HOW BIC LOST THE EDGE TO GILLETTE. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. However, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually, about 32% end up in the ocean (Kaplan). The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) was introduced into clinical use in the late 1980s and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the US in 1991. Biro P. Damage to laryngeal masks during sterilization. hb```X ea i:=3*?a_.k7#uq-u[JRP erle@@)`EkP;~ cdC58xiv06@Jup E Tungsten is a natural metal deposit that is found in metamorphic, and granitic igneous rocks, primarily in China, Russia, South Korea, South America, and the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The purpose of this assessment is to compare two different types of razors: cartridge based vs. double edge safety razor. Table 2 shows the results of alternate assumption on the overall results. #4. This project is a collaboration between the Great Recovery Programme and Fab Lab London. However, given the environmental toll to such a fast accumulating, and non-biodegradable product, waste management must be more considered by both the manufacturers and the buyers. Case Studies. Case Studies : Reducing BIC's Rejection Rates | KEYENCE America, www.keyence.com/solutions/case-studies/bic.jsp. The LMA was then dried with a cotton towel. What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal? AZoM.com, 2 Aug. 2009, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4827. Shabecoff, Philip. . B|$5 Buy Now. Disposable BIC razors are hollow and made using injection molding, but making the razors hollow is only possible because of the fluid nature of polystyrene (The Bic Razor, Still the Sharpest of the Bunch.). In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. 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). 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. Holes are then punched into the metal and the tapelike sheets of razors are then put in a roll (Manufacturing Processes). What Is Tungsten Carbide?" An estimated 1 L of tap water was used to wash and rinse 1 LMA (or 40 L over a lifetime of 40 uses). The Ramboll Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found that, assuming realistic usage over a year, the energy consumption involved in the use phase of reusable plastic and traditional crockery, during in-store or out-sourced washing and drying, outweighed the environmental impact of single-use paper dishes. If you count the actual razor cover (if you haven't lost it long ago) then it will be four pieces for recycling. It has been assumed that the only part recycled at the end of life is the packaging. 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. A major flaw in the disposable razors design is in fact its inability to be sustainably and properly disposed, despite what its name suggests. For climate change impacts specifically, the reusable LMA contributes 7.4 kg CO2e of GHGs over its life cycle, and the equivalent 40 disposable LMAs contribute 11.3 kg CO2e, or approximately the equivalent to burning a gallon (4 L) of gasoline. The materials used in the production of disposable razors are limited due to the products simplicity however, many of the materials are unsustainable in that they are not biodegradable or easily recyclable, and require heavy energy input to manufacture. BIC has repeatedly come under fire because of the environmental impact their disposable razors have, due to the sheer amount of their disposable products are used every year. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Packaging for the Distribution of Italian Fruit and Vegetables. Due to the nature of the disposable razor, they are usually just thrown in the trash and sent off to a landfill. In the late 1990s, disposable LMAs became available. 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. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. Gillette Mach3 Men's Disposable Razor for Sensitive Skin - Best Cartridge Razor for Sensitive Skin. An updated lifecycle assessment for disposable and reusable nappies Report that looks at the effect of disposable and reusable nappies on global warming and other environmental impacts. Anaesth Intensive Care 2004;32:5304, 4. This is because of the complexity of the life cycle, from the acquisition of materials to the management of a product at the end of its life. There are so many variables that you have to take into account when calculating how much of an impact a product is having on the environment and our resources. Subramaniar Trading Company. Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Labor. Europe, Plastic News. Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. 2011, Packaging Technology and Science. 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). Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping. The Fabricators, 18 July 2018, www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Phase 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment. 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. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. endstream endobj 752 0 obj <>stream Polyphenylene Oxides.Polyphenylene Oxides - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/polyphenylene-oxides. (ii)Access paramount's competitive position? Another material used is polystyrene. Yet, tungsten has been found to deposit particles into the soil that causes some contamination, making it a recent concern to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a modeling tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of products and processes. Research about tungsten is ongoing and includes health effects and risks, degradation processes and an inventory of its use in the defense industry as a substitute for lead-based munitions (EPA). Anaesth Intensive Care 2010;38:538, 9. What Is Polystyrene? The polypropylene is sorted during recycling using a float test that separates it from other materials based on its ability to float due to its weight, then it is often melted down and reused in other product manufacturing. These results will then be used to inform the design process and improve the redesigned razor. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. 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. Depending upon on how the razor is packaged, the finished cartridge may or may not be assembled onto the handle of the razor, as some companies choose to package the handle detached the cartridge(s). 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. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to identify the environmental risks of existing and planned products, services and manufacturing processes as well as identify strategic improvement opportunities. The Eco-Indicator method is a tool developed to help designers conduct a simplified LCA study. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. The high waste from manufacturing and shipping such a small, and cheap product is one that is negatively impacting the planet. BIC has noted however that they strive to be as efficient with materials used when it comes to their packaging. Questions and Answers: CreutzfeldtJakob Disease Infection-Control Practices. The majority of eutrophication impacts from disposable LMAs are from deposition of nitrogen oxide particulates from electricity generation and waste incineration, and impacts for the reusable LMA are nearly all from wastewater used in the cleaning process. The main causes of the reusable LMA's environmental impacts are the steam used in the autoclave sterilizing machine and, to a lesser extent, the wastewater generated from washing the LMAs. 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. They have estimated that they expend around 11.77 gigajoules of energy per ton of their products that they produce (For You For Everyone Registration Document) The BIC report also categorized the energy where they obtained the energy. 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. Lippiatt BC, Boyles AS. 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. What IS Life Cycle Assessment? From mining and extracting the natural tungsten metal, to making the metal alloy and manufacturing just the blade, waste is released. The scope of our analysis, as is shown in Figure 1, includes extraction of material and energy resources, manufacturing, packaging and transport from the manufacturing site to the distribution center and the hospital, reprocessing, and eventual disposal. 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. If the reusable LMA is discarded prematurely, e.g., after 20 uses,16 the unit cost increases to $13 per unit, but decreases to $5.50 if the lifetime can be extended to 80 uses. Lv, Andrea Lind, and Tigist Fetene. Reusable LMA cleaning was observed to proceed as follows. By far, the biggest impact during the manufacturing of the razors was the 17 spot welds done in each cartridge. Innovative and strategic advisor to leading philanthropies, corporates, governments, international institutions and NGOs. However, by looking at just this one company, there is a sense of the massive amount of direct and indirect emissions from just the making of razors that are thrown away so quickly after use, with an increase annually of users. Since BICs products do not go to a single location it is impossible to give an exact number for BICs energy usage in transportation. Tungsten carbide is a carbide compound, made up of equal parts of tungsten and carbon. To begin the process of creating the razor blades, tungsten carbide, which is the metal that the blades and other optional components are made of, must first be manufactured. An LCA is an accounting of the inputs and outputs for a product system, beginning with extraction of raw materials from the earth and continuing through all of the steps of transportation, manufacturing, product fabrication, product use, and end-of-life, which may include reuse, recycling . The results also suggest effective procurement strategies for reducing the impacts of disposable LMAs where they are selected. Chain Management by Life Cycle Assessment (CMLCA) software has been used to conduct the LCA and Ecoinvent 2.01 has been used for life cycle inventory data. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. The autoclave was typically run with 5 LMAs, although loading varied significantly. Sinha R, Sunder R. Retiring reusable laryngeal mask airways after 40: an anaesthetist's dilemma. This practice meets American Society of Anesthesiologists' recommendations for infection control for equipment requiring high-level disinfection.14. BIC has reported their total energy usage and carbon footprint in their factories around the world, this was all however for the year 2016.