life cycle assessment of disposable razors

Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. My next blog post will show some design recommendations using sketches and 3D-printed prototypes. Part of this responsible shipping mentality forces them to change their packaging to be able to ship more at a time. The metal is heated to a temperature of 1967-2048 degrees Fahrenheit and tungsten carbide has a specific heat of 0.226 BTU/lb/Fahrenheit (Safety razor). 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. One of their most popular products is the disposable razor, which they started to manufacture in 1975. Features Downloads. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Atlanta, 2012. 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. 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). But this is expected from a large brand like Gillette. By raising awareness and creating locations where one can drop off used razors for recycling, perhaps a change can come. 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. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Gathering all the data for the LCA is the most difficult part of the task, and normally assumptions have to be made where its impossible to gather all the knowledge required, thus not all the relevant impacts are considered. Silver Spring, MD: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002, 26. 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. A complete life cycle cost analysis would complement the life cycle assessment results shown here; however, a simple analysis reveals that, assuming full utilization, a $200 reusable LMA costs $5 per use, plus $3 per cleaning for a unit cost of $8, excluding utility and hospital overhead costs. It has been assumed that the only part recycled at the end of life is the packaging. On the Venus Gillette company website, they provide the buyer with a guide for choosing which razor is best by asking: When it comes to choosing a razor, how do you know if a disposable or reusable razor is right for you? (What's the Difference Between Disposable and Reusable Razors for Women? Venus)This question, however, only affects the buyers short usage time, and does not provide any information as to the rest of the razors life-cycle after they are ready for a new razor blade and they: throw away the entire razor and grab a new one as recommended by the manufacturer (Venus). Polypropylene is recyclable with the resin code of 5, which is its numbered identification code that is used to identify what resins plastic products are made of, and indicate how they are recycled. Disposable LMAs are made largely from PVC plastic, which is associated with a number of health concerns that are gaining increased attention.23 Historic efforts to minimize routine medical incineration resulted in the 1998 Memorandum of Understanding between the American Hospital Association and the US Environmental Protection Agency, largely on the basis of recognition of the potential carcinogenic effects of burning PVC plastics. 5.Interpret and analyse the results. This break-even point will change depending on the category of environmental impact being considered. The indirect emissions were mostly from the electricity use in the factories. 1. 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. 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. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. The metal that can be used in the cartridge is also cut out during this stage. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. There are some solutions and new recycling ideas, yet, the reduction of waste for disposable razors is still far off. Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group.KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. Please try after some time. The number of times an LMA is reused is a particularly uncertain assumption, because there have been reports of premature disposal.16 Use in excess of the manufacturer recommended 40 times has also been reported,17 and 100 to 200 uses appears to be possible with proper handling and preuse checks.1821 Here, 10, 20, 30, 60, 80, and 100 cycles are considered as alternative assumptions. h[K#1}\$u@ For You for Everyone Registration Document. Holes are then punched into the metal and the tapelike sheets of razors are then put in a roll (Manufacturing Processes). 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). During the research, I could not find how much energy BIC injection molding machines use, but I did find the energy usage of a common injection molding machine called the Babyplast. Product Ecology (PR) Consultants. 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. Thomas, G.P. According to studies done by the EPA, tungsten steel was originally tested as a stable metal in soil that does not dissolve easily in water (EPA). 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.. 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. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. These impacts are quantified here in terms of energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using general factors for US labor.22. The hardest part of this whole process is the data gathering. It can be used to study the environmental impact of either a product or the function the product is designed to perform. Contribution: This author helped design the study and prepare the manuscript. 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. There are various ways that the product can get there. LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . From:. With the recommended use of three to ten uses for disposable razors, they quickly end up in the landfill to decompose. Two Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methodologies were employed using SimaPro software 51,52 to calculate the environmental impacts of manufacturing both the plastic and compostable coffee . The study found that: Once all the components of the razor have been made, the components go to various stations where different tasks will be performed. Polystyrene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene. Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. 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. For You For Everyone: Registration Document.Bic World, Bic, 2016, www.bicworld.com/sites/default/files/2017-03/BIC_DRF2016_EN.pdf. 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. The 2 LMA options are nearly equivalent in terms of eutrophication impacts, but with different contributions. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. 748 0 obj <> endobj In this section we also need to state the assumptions made during the process: The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) is where the impacts on the environment are calculated. This manuscript was handled by: Steven L. Shafer, MD. The backbone of LCA is the life cycle inventory (LCI), an analysis of material and energy ows resulting from all phases of the product life cycle. American Medical Association (AMA). We can see how the double edge safety razor has a much lower impact due to the low amount of parts and materials used and the fact that the blade can be separated from the rest of the body and recycled (reducing the overall impact of the product). 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. We perform Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Critical Reviews in accordance with ISO 14040/44 for products and services. The Bic USAs company website provides information about the making of the razors in the factories, regarding their inspection and factory standards, yet there is no mention for the environmental impact of the disposal. Kelly, John. Waste is not only a problem when a product is disposed of, but also when it is initially manufactured. Subramaniar Trading Company. 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 Land transport like trains and trucks use diesel as fuel and that produced 138,700 BTU (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Teoh W, Lim Y. This was a cradle-to-grave study that included inputs and outputs for the manufacture, transport, use, and waste phases of the LMAs. 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). From San Diego, both LMAs were assumed to be transported 4700 km by truck to New Haven, CT (70% of shipments in the US are made by truck).13. PurposeIn this study, a life cycle assessment of a bioplastic based diaper was performed. Ison E, Miller A. 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. BIC is voicing their concern about the environmental impact that their large production goals can have. However, BIC did report some of its transportation statistics. One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The alternatives are objects made of bio compostable plastic,. 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. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Weissman, Alexander, et al. I could however not find any details about the energy consumption of the machines used in the assembly process. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. The processes that contribute to these emissions differ markedly between the 2 LMA devices. 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. Contact Supplier. 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. Information on PPO plastics are difficult to find, as most of the data is about how it is made, and the chemical makeup and stability of the plastic, rather than information on the decomposition rate or waste used in the making of it. Anesth Analg 2004;99:6267, 17. In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. Each razor can last up to 12 gentle shaves. 6,474. J Environ Assess Policy Manage 2000;2:45376, 2. In order to carry out the Eco-Indicator analysis method, the methodology described below has to be followed: B|$5 Buy Now. Properly following the instructions it should (hopefully) leave you with three pieces, the handle, the metal blade, the plastic that was covering the blade. Choosing models that use alternate materials is recommended, particularly because the American Medical Association is urging hospitals and health systems to reduce their use of PVC products, especially those containing DEHP.26 The shipment of LMAs by air also greatly increased overall impacts, pointing to a strategy of bulk ordering from local distributors well in advance of use, and avoiding overnight shipment whenever possible. 45. Though technicians are paid regardless of whether they are cleaning LMAs or are performing some other task, these wages are nonetheless assigned to the reusable LMA on the basis of time spent. McGain F, McAlister S, McGavin A, Story D. The financial and environmental costs of reusable and single-use plastic anaesthetic drug trays. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) measures the impact of products on the environment. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. Contamination problems with reuse of laryngeal mask airways and laryngoscopes. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2009;53:6878, 19. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts.ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Product Ecology (PR) Consultants, 2011, 11. Siddle, Dave. 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 extraction and consumption of resources (including energy), as well as releases to air, water, and soil, are quantified throughout all stages. 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. RSA E.P.A. The next step in the process is the assembly of all the parts. Recommendations for Infection Control for the Practice of Anesthesiology. 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. 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. 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 For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. 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. How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use of TCE Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee. 2017. Hedrick, Art. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. Introduction Paper diapers are roughly divided into two types: those for infants and those for adults. 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). 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. 39 ($0.37/Count) FREE delivery Thu, Mar 2 on $25 of items shipped by Amazon. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. BIC says its product beats out other models by 59 percent. 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. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. BIC is a French manufacturing company that produces a variety of disposable consumer products like pens, lighters and disposable razors. Materials were matched with appropriate life cycle inventory records from the ecoinvent database.11 Injection molding was assumed for the hard plastic pieces (polycarbonate and ABS plastic) and thermoforming for the softer plastics (silicone, polypropylene, and PVC). All that is needed is the insertion of the razor blade into the plastic body. Considering human health concerns, the majority (60%) of impacts for the disposable LMA is due to the production of polymers, PVC in particular, with emissions from incineration contributing another 15%. Figueredo E. Changes in the intracuff pressure of the laryngeal masks airway caused by repeated use. SimaPro 7.3.2. We performed a life cycle assessment of 2 analogous LMAs, the disposable LMA Unique and the reusable LMA Classic, according to internationally accepted standard life cycle assessment methods (ISO 14040: 2006). Terracycle is a company that was created to address the issue of recyclable products that often end up in landfills. The fewer LMAs placed in the autoclave, the larger the impacts on GHG emissions and global warming on each individual unit. 3. BIC Comfort 3 Refillable Three-Blade Disposable Razors for Men, Sensitive Skin Razor for a Comfortable Shave, 1 Handle and 12 Cartridges With 3 Blades, 13 Piece Razor Kit. The major problem with recycling this plastic however, is that during the heating process, the plastic degrades in quality making it less valuable (What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal?, AZoM.com). GaBi is a LCA software that allows its users to connect environmental impacts to a product across its lifespan. The powder is then shaped, usually by the process of die stamping. 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. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Staff, Creative Mechanisms. 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). to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. 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. The product doesnt contain any material labels, so the materials have been assumed to be low alloy steel for the body, PP for the plastic parts of the body, EPDM rubber for the grip and an acrylic polymer coating for the lubricating band. The blades do eventually dissipate within the landfill, yet, it is not cost-free, as the tungsten waste can be ultimately harmful to the environment. Biron, Michel. 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. 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. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Disposable razors are created for a short user time, and an easy answer to the growing populations fast paced lifestyles and needs for shaving: they are primarily designed to be simple, economical, and disposable (Safety Razor). 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. The specific type or blend of plastic for BIC razors is used is called polystyrene (Europe). Disposable Razors in Bulk, Bulk Razors with Knife Caps, Individually Packaged Disposable Razors Bulk, Suitable for Hotels, Shelters, Homeless People, Nursing Homes, Charities, Churches (60) 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (9) $22.39 $ 22. The buyer online is not exposed to the long lasting waste of the razors after they are thrown out. Sustainable Development at BIC . 6 Jan. 2011. Then we collected and structured the data in phase 2. 0 8tZ LMA North America. This is based on our Life Cycle Inventory flows from phase 2. "Tungsten Processing." The life cycle of plastics Life cycle assessment (LCA) considers the environmental aspects associated with a product over its lifespan. Safety Razor.How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. To bring the metal to its final form, it is heated to extremely high temperatures to remove the binders, and to mold the metal particles together, in turn, creating a very strong and durable metal compound (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?). The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. After the plastic body is manufactured it goes through inspections similar to ones the blades go through. Polystyrene is a naturally transparent thermoplastic that is available as both a typical solid plastic as well in the form of a rigid foam material (Rodgers, Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS).). 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. 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.

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