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

They also reported how they dealt with their non-hazardous waste 76 percent was recycled, 11 percent incineration with energy recovery, 10 percent was sent to land disposal, and the remaining 3 percent was sent off for a different treatment (For You for Everyone Registration Document). 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 blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. Applying this method of assessment is complex and difficult and translating the theory into a . From:. 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. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. Because the human health impacts of the disposable LMAs are dominated by plastics, increasing the amount of PVC by 10% leads to a significant (>5%) increase in cancer and noncancer effects. Siddle, Dave. Scope of the life cycle assessment for disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways (LMAs). Anesth Analg 1998;87:921, 3. Comparison of disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways in spontaneously ventilating adult patients. your express consent. 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. 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. These results will then be used to inform the design process and improve the redesigned razor. 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. At every point during planning, production, and even marketing, the quantity of consumption should be analyzed to adjust business models accordingly. endstream endobj 752 0 obj <>stream Due to the nature of the disposable razor, they are usually just thrown in the trash and sent off to a landfill. 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 largest difference in environmental impacts is seen in the impact category of carcinogenesis, in which reusable LMAs cause 5% of the impacts of disposable LMAs. Wat LI, Brimacombe JR, Gee S. Laryngeal mask airway longevity and pilot-balloon failure. The final value for the cartridge-based razor was 115.06 mPt, and the value for the double edge safety razor was 15.70 mPt. Assessing all steps in that life cycle provides insight into individual stresses and burden shifts from one step to another and enables understanding of both the cumulative environmental impacts and related trade-offs in each area, throughout the lifespan of both a facility and its manufactured products. Nash, Nathaniel C. HOW BIC LOST THE EDGE TO GILLETTE. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. %%EOF Impact Assessment. DEHP is a plasticizer routinely added to impart flexibility to PVC-based products, such as IV bags, tubing, and endotracheal tubes. There are many detailed stages but the main ones are: extracting and. The number of BIC razors that are used by consumers is astounding. The full life cycle environmental impacts can be challenging to model, because modern production "pathways" can involve numerous interacting technologies, each of which can consume materials and energy that are themselves products of complex production processes. Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping. The Fabricators, 18 July 2018, www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping. Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group. KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. Please try again soon. Of course the 2.6 billion razors were not, all the same, however, we can still give a ballpark estimate of how many tonnes of plastic/metal waste is being produced every year. 11 / Piece. Because of its high stability, PPO is a very widely used plastic for many different household items. Most tungsten, about 85%, is extracted from various ores in China (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?). However, the viability of the disposable razor is always thrown into question because of the sheer amount of resources that it expends. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Marinella Levi. When the devices entered use at Yale New Haven Hospital, both the disposable and the reusable LMAs were removed from their original packaging, which was discarded. Silver Spring, MD: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002, 26. 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. This manuscript was handled by: Steven L. Shafer, MD. Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group.KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. However, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually, about 32% end up in the ocean (Kaplan). The metal that can be used in the cartridge is also cut out during this stage. Here, Great Recovery Intern Sebastian de Cabo Portugal discusses Life Cycle Assessments. The original LMA was a reusable device (Intavent International SA, Henley-on-Thames, UK). 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 metal is then quenched in water to bring it to -76 to -112 degrees Fahrenheit to harden the material (Safety Razor). Lv, Andrea Lind, and Tigist Fetene. Goodman EJ, Haas AJ. At the end of applying the additives, the blades are once again heated, to cement the coating onto the blade. 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. Siddle, Dave. What does a business area's assessment of agreements, income, and value implicate? 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. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. Select patients who are highly infective warrant the choice of disposable devices; however, data do not support selecting disposables for all patients to avoid any possible risk of infection. A life-cycle inventory of cloth and disposable diapers was conducted based on diapering habits in Canada The parameters evaluated were energy consumption, water consumption, raw materials 15 Crop water use and water use efficiency on irrigated cotton farms in Australia S. Tennakoon, S. Milroy Environmental Science 2003 93 Int J Life Cycle Assess 2001;6:7680, 13. Life cycle assessment software I used GaBi 6 software, produced by PE International. LCA is a technique to assess the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service. Poly(Phenylene Oxide). The Polymer Science Learning Center, www.pslc.ws/macrog/ppo.htm. After the parts are manufactured it is time for the final product assembly. Recommendations for Infection Control for the Practice of Anesthesiology. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. By far, the biggest impact during the manufacturing of the razors was the 17 spot welds done in each cartridge. An exact number for the energy use for BIC was not obtained. GaBi includes its own database containing life cycle inventories of processes such as polypropylene manufacturing, transportation, and landfill . to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without LCA for product sustainability. Holes are then punched into the metal and the tapelike sheets of razors are then put in a roll (Manufacturing Processes). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. What Is Polystyrene? This liquid material is then injected into moulds, or extruded through moulds, where it will cool and take the form of the desired cartridge and handle shape. If all 2.6 billion of those razors each weight 8.8 grams, then the total amount of waste produced would be around 25,220 tonnes. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely-used technique to comprehensively assess the impacts of a product or a process on the environment and acts as an effective tool in gauging the. Gillette Mach3 Disposable Razors for Men, 6 Count, Designed for Sensitive Skin. The GTG LCIs are added together to give a cradle-to-gate (CTG) life cycle inventory . PurposeIn this study, a life cycle assessment of a bioplastic based diaper was performed. 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . The tracking can come from sales, and in 2018 more than $1.2 billion in disposable razors were sold in the U.S., with varying prices but many disposables costing less than $1 each (Olsen). Chu L, Mathur P, Trudell J, Brock-Utne J. 15 - 21 Our group recently performed a life cycle assessment of anesthetic drug trays, finding that reusable trays were both environmentally and . Each time the steam autoclave machine conducts a sterilizing cycle, a large amount of energy is used to heat the steam. There are 3 key tasks in this step. In this paper, this will be exactly what we will discuss, from what materials go into making a disposable razor and how they are made, to what happens to it after its tossed out, and all the energy and waste that is used and expelled throughout its lifecycle. (ii)Access paramount's competitive position? Once extracted, the tungsten is then shipped to a desired location for it to be manufactured into the metal compound. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. Some error has occurred while processing your request. Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. Teoh W, Lim Y. 0 Anaesth Intensive Care 2010;38:538, 9. Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Product Ecology (PR) Consultants, 2011, 11. How One Company Keeps Used Razors Out Of Oceans.Green Matters, Green Matters, 25 Sept. 2017, www.greenmatters.com/news/2017/09/25/Z1oInGt/razors-ocean. The differences in environmental impacts between these devices strongly favor reusable devices. The actual making of the razors, and printing paper for their packaging has a lower environmental impact, than the waste from the factories high energy use. There is uncertainty in several model assumptions. Kelly, John. Reprints will not be available from the authors. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. The environmental effects of labor are often omitted from life cycle assessment studies, but are included here as part of the sensitivity analysis. 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). This short course will give you an introduction to life cycle assessment (LCA) methods and how to apply them in real-life situations.. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a rapidly evolving tool used to determine impacts of products or systems over a range of environmental and resource issues. 13, 14 There are few published life cycle assessment studies of medical items (ref. This assessment is exceptionally useful as it shows the designer what areas are the most impactful during the products life cycle. International Sympsium on Sustainable Systems and Technology. If you count the actual razor cover (if you haven't lost it long ago) then it will be four pieces for recycling. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. 11,772. Data is temporarily unavailable. One of their most popular products is the disposable razor, which they started to manufacture in 1975. There is no public data entailing the details of this plastics recyclability. Overview. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. For You For Everyone: Registration Document.Bic World, Bic, 2016, www.bicworld.com/sites/default/files/2017-03/BIC_DRF2016_EN.pdf. 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. In landfilling or incinerating this part, the large amount of energy and material value used in creating it is lost. Brimacombe J, Keller C, Morris R, Mecklem D. A comparison of the disposable versus the reusable laryngeal mask airway in paralyzed adult patients. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Rogers, Tony. Ask a worker if you can put them in the bin by themselves or if they need to be in a recyclable container to protect sanitation workers from being cut. Premature disposal of reusable LMAs has significant environmental impacts (as well as costs, discussed below). The newest effort to recycle disposable razors is being done in France by BIC, but the company has said that they do not plan on unveiling a recycling program anywhere else yet (Powers). Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Conversely, impacts can be reduced by autoclaving more LMAs at once or with other equipment with similar decontamination requirements. Since BICs products do not go to a single location it is impossible to give an exact number for BICs energy usage in transportation. Once in the landfill, it usually takes around 20-30 years to breakdown. It is cheap and highly versatile, and can either be hard plastic material, or a soft foam material, making it one of the most common plastic materials manufactured and used (What Is Polystyrene? All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. The metal liquid then goes through a strengthening process called annealing. The second component of the razor is the plastic body which is made of a fairly inexpensive plastic called polystyrene. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2010. What Is Tungsten Carbide?" Overcash M. Comparison of reusable and disposable medical textiles. Gillette's slogan 'Gillette - the best a man can get' is famous the world over. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. 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. 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. These containers, mainly wooden pallets and spools, are subject to European legislat Until now, we defined what we want to measure and collect in phase 1. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. LMA North America. The biggest impact during the cartridge-based razor life-cycle is manufacturing the cartridge as this is the part which is hardest to make. 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). After the plastic body is manufactured it goes through inspections similar to ones the blades go through. However, BIC did report some of its transportation statistics. Max Soft Disposable Razor For Women - 3 Pcs In A Pack. But what really goes into making one of these seemingly mundane disposable razors and what happens to it after its tossed in the trash? Individually autoclaving the reusable LMA (because of stock shortages, for example) increased life cycle GHG emissions by >400%, whereas loading with 10 LMAs per cycle decreased emissions by nearly 25%. After that the blades go through a blade edging process, which consists of the blade strips first being coarsely ground by whetstone, second being ground at an angle with a finer whetstone, and then having the tip of the blades ground (Manufacturing Processes). Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Transportation, 2002, 14. use/disposable and multiple-use/washable surgical gowns. 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. 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. Anesth Analg 2004;99:6267, 17. 3. 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. The Bic Razor, Still the Sharpest of the Bunch. Plastics Le Mag, 31 Jan. 2017, plastics-themag.com/The-Bic-razor-still-the-sharpest-of-the-bunch. There are three main components in a disposable razor. BIC Group, 2016, For You For Everyone Registration Document. Powers, Matt, and Amanda M. Can You Recycle Disposable Razors? Earth911.Com, 30 July 2019, earth911.com/living-well-being/health/can-you-recycle-disposable-razors/. This is only the operational energy consumption, but you still have to take into account all the energy used in the design and installation of the machinery. BIC has done their best to deal with waste in an environmentally conscious manner. The final product is then gathered and prepared to go through the final step which is the packaging of razors. It has been assumed that the only part recycled at the end of life is the packaging. In this section we also need to state the assumptions made during the process: The 2 LMA options are nearly equivalent in terms of eutrophication impacts, but with different contributions. This is done on an assembly line by the robotic arm the inserts the razor blade into the small crevices in the plastic body. It has a low density and is quite flexible and heat resistant, therefore making it an easily moulded and extruded material. disposable paper diaper; material recycling; closed-loop recycling; life cycle assessment (LCA) 1. 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. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. Chicago: American Medical Association, 2006, 27. It is resistant to fats and almost all organic solvents which helps it hold up in the damp and warm conditions of a bathroom and shower (Polypropylene. Wikipedia.org). endstream endobj startxref Highly effective in driving partnerships, public policies and projects that accelerate the shift towards a sustainable built environment. Finally, the need for manual labor in the cleaning process of reusable LMAs contributed to the costs of these LMAs. The metal must be mined and extracted from the mountain causing an emission of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases (Wang). Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. The high waste from manufacturing and shipping such a small, and cheap product is one that is negatively impacting the planet. On the other hand, extending the number of uses to 80 (doubling the lifetime) reduces GHG emissions by 9%. Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS).Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS), www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-ps-plastic. In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included. Disposable razors are made up of three components: a hollowed plastic handle, the razor blade, and the plastic head of the razor that holds the blade (Safety Razor). The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. DEHP leaches out upon exposure to heat and lipids, as would be the case in contact with mucous membranes. One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). Anesth Analg 2012;114:105566, 8. It all starts with the melting and combining of the desired metal. There are three main materials used in the plastic handle and the cartridge of the disposable razor. 761 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[]/Index[748 22]/Info 747 0 R/Length 72/Prev 421064/Root 749 0 R/Size 770/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream 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). endstream endobj 749 0 obj <>/Metadata 40 0 R/Pages 746 0 R/StructTreeRoot 63 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 750 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 746 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 751 0 obj <>stream The US Environmental Protection Agency's Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) life cycle impact assessment method was used to model environmental impacts of greenhouse gases and other pollutant emissions. The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again. 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. Reusable LMAs were collected in a dirty device bin on the anesthesia cart and then reprocessed by the anesthesia technicians. Address e-mail to [emailprotected]. Park Ridge, IL: American Society of Anesthesiologists, 1999, 15. This LCA is specific for surgical gowns used in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. 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). However, it is fairly easy to find what the disposable razors components are made of, due to its simplicity. Cited Here. The stability of the plastic components, while necessary for shelf stability and use, takes longer than one persons life-span to decompose. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Table 2 shows the results of alternate assumption on the overall results. Their carbon footprint was reported with the highest offender being air travel for the product, and staff transportation coming from France: accounting for 73% of the companys annual greenhouse gas emissions (Bic). 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 Olsen, Alexandra. This means that it takes around 1 BTU to heat a 0.035-ounce razor blade to the desired temperature (Julabo et.al). Part of this responsible shipping mentality forces them to change their packaging to be able to ship more at a time. 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 . 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. After the end of their recommended lifetime, reusable LMAs were also placed in municipal solid waste containers. The most important sources of impacts for the disposable LMA were the production of polymers, packaging, and waste management, whereas for the reusable LMA, washing and sterilization dominated for most impact categories. Main methodological choices . Anaesth Intensive Care 2004;32:5304, 4. Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment.The Great Recovery, www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. Sherman JD, Ryan S. Ecological responsibility in anesthesia practice. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. 3.7.Product Life Cycle Analysis . Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. For example, LCA results can tell us if one product is environmentally preferable to another . Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to estimate the total environmental impacts from producing a good or service. Yet, as they are designed to be thrown away after use, a question is raised of their fast accumulating waste and its impact on the environment. Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. 2. LMA Classic Product Specifications, 2011, 10. The Environmental Protection Agency classifies DEHP as a probable carcinogen, and as a possible endocrine disrupter.24 The FDA issued an advisory in 2002 recommending steps be taken to reduce the risk of exposure to DEHP in certain populations.25 There is enough evidence of reproductive and developmental toxicant effects from DEHP for the FDA to recommend alternatives for patients deemed at high risk, namely infants, toddlers, and pregnant and lactating women. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS). Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS), 5 Nov. 2015, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-ps-plastic. A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Packaging for the Distribution of Italian Fruit and Vegetables. `""(w 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.