In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. My next blog post will show some design recommendations using sketches and 3D-printed prototypes. Camera visual inspection is performed and This is all to ensure BICs quality standards are being met and ensure a quality product. 4. The blade is made from a tungsten steel, and carbon alloy. Data is temporarily unavailable. This is shown through their commitment to their eco-design process and new recycling programs that are undergoing testing. The stability of the plastic components, while necessary for shelf stability and use, takes longer than one persons life-span to decompose. 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. At an average of 10 reuse cycles, GHG impacts increase by >50%, and this is the break-even point at which the GHG emissions from reusable and disposable LMAs are essentially equal. Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Product Ecology (PR) Consultants, 2011, 11. LeBlanc, Rick. The metal used for the razor blades is called Tungsten Carbide which is used in wear applications, such as shaving (Safety Razor). Redesigning the Razor Life Cycle Assessment. The Great Recovery, http://www.greatrecovery.org.uk/resources/3682/. There are many detailed stages but the main ones are: extracting and. to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS).Everything You Need To Know About Polystyrene (PS), www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/polystyrene-ps-plastic. Another advantage is that the process produces a single score (Eco-Indicator Point) for the all the impacts of the product, not just individual ones for each part. The tables didnt contain values for welding steel, so it has been assumed that the value is close to welding aluminium which is in the table. Bic has attempted to lower their direct emissions by having factories world-wide and creating: a Transport Community which connects shipping managers on each continent to raise control for greenhouse gas emissions, optimize shipments and routes, and use only responsible carriers (Bic). However, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually, about 32% end up in the ocean (Kaplan). In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. The GTG LCIs are added together to give a cradle-to-gate (CTG) life cycle inventory . 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. It can be used to study the environmental impact of either a product or the function the product is designed to perform. With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. The second component of the razor is the plastic body which is made of a fairly inexpensive plastic called polystyrene. The blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. The buyer online is not exposed to the long lasting waste of the razors after they are thrown out. 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. 2. Click the image for pricing & more info. Contribution: This author helped conduct the study and analyze the data. Health care facilities can decrease their environmental impacts by using reusable LMAs, by selecting disposable LMA models that are not made of certain plastics, and by ordering in bulk from local distributors. It is used to assist companies, consumers, and policy-makers in greening their practices and decisions. Finally, the razors are packaged in cardboard and plastic, and shipped out to stores and markets globally for customers to purchase and use. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Sensor3 disposable razors for men feature an enhanced Lubrastrip with water activated Comfortgel technology for ultra-gentle shaving on your sensitive skin. 3 in Table 1). Applying this method of assessment is complex and difficult and translating the theory into a . Paper diapers for infants, which are highly convenient as they do not require laundering like cloth diapers, are essential for daily life in Japan. The plastic and steel elements of the razor can be recycled, yet, because they are so lightweight and small it makes it hard to separate in the trash and unable to be recycled normally. 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.). BIC has reported their total energy usage and carbon footprint in their factories around the world, this was all however for the year 2016. 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). Current LMA procurement decisions are typically based on perceived costs. In their study of Life cycle assessment of wastewater treatment technologies treating petroleum process waters, Vlaopolous et al. Pollution of the oceans from plastics has become an increasingly large issue that researchers are still assessing. In order to carry out the Eco-Indicator analysis method, the methodology described below has to be followed: Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. WC2N 6EZ, Redesigning the razor Life Cycle Assessment. 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). All of these equipment-related cases occurred before the routine implementation of sterilization procedures currently used in health care facilities. Highlights The cheap price of the razor does not reflect the high cost of its waste and impact on the environment. Polyphenylene Oxides.Polyphenylene Oxides - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/polyphenylene-oxides. Product Ecology (PR) Consultants. BIC Group, 2016, For You For Everyone Registration Document. 39 ($0.37/Count) FREE delivery Thu, Mar 2 on $25 of items shipped by Amazon. 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. It takes a lifetime perspective LCA takes into consideration all the steps that lead from raw material through manufacture, distribution and usage to final disposal. 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. associated with the environmental interventions attributable to the life-cycle of a product. The total amount of Direct emissions from BIC factories was 8,689 tonnes of carbon dioxide (For You For Everyone Registration Document). Such an analysis is commonly performed using life cycle assessment. 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. An estimated 1 L of tap water was used to wash and rinse 1 LMA (or 40 L over a lifetime of 40 uses). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a framework for assessing the environmental impacts of product systems and decisions. 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. Polypropylene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene. Subramaniar Trading Company. After the reusable LMA was washed and dried, it was then placed into a heat seal pouch, made of polypropylene film and paper. Their disposable nature causes them to be put into landfills faster than it takes them to be made, packaged, and shipped. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens For both environmental and cost considerations, management and operating procedures should be put in place to ensure that reusable LMAs are not discarded prematurely. In phase 3, we evaluate how significant the impacts are. 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. It has been assumed that the only part recycled at the end of life is the packaging. Facilities that select reusable devices should implement inventory and operating procedures that ensure that devices are reused to the greatest possible extent. BIC is voicing their concern about the environmental impact that their large production goals can have. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Introduction Paper diapers are roughly divided into two types: those for infants and those for adults. However, the viability of the disposable razor is always thrown into question because of the sheer amount of resources that it expends. 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. LCA's are completed particularly in relation to how to develop a sustainable world where less waste and more reuse is implemented. 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. 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. 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. Additionally, the PVC-dominated material composition of the disposable LMA and associated packaging added significantly to its impacts. Can J Anaesth 2001;48:40912, 22. One of their most popular products is the disposable razor, which they started to manufacture in 1975. Being that it is such a common and quickly replaced product, this is is a major issue in terms of waste. 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?). `""(w Everything You Need To Know About Polypropylene (PP) Plastic. Everything You Need To Know About Polypropylene (PP) Plastic, https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/all-about-polypropylene-pp-plastic. 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. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. To begin the process of creating the metal, the tungsten is purified and ground into a fine powder. Europe, Plastic News. 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. All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. There is uncertainty in several model assumptions. LCAs can be used comparatively to assess different product or service design options or to identify environmental . Innovative and strategic advisor to leading philanthropies, corporates, governments, international institutions and NGOs. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. 11 / Piece. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. Decision makers have typically favored disposable LMAs because the purchase price is perceived to be less for a comparable quantity of disposable LMAs, in comparison with 1 reusable LMA with its associated labor costs for in-house reprocessing.6. This was a cradle-to-grave study that included inputs and outputs for the manufacture, transport, use, and waste phases of the LMAs. 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. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . Our team of experts has many years of experience in the ecological evaluation of products and services. E.P.A. 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). When you take your blades in to the scrap metal center, choose the steel recycling bin. 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. 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 . 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). 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. 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). 5.Interpret and analyse the results. After the products make their way to consumers and serve their purpose, the waste must be dealt with. This obviously makes the results less accurate, but it can still be used as a general indicator of impact. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. Lippiatt BC, Boyles AS. Bic USAs 2016 registration document provides information about the waste produced during the manufacturing of the razors. Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. Anaesth Intensive Care 2010;38:538, 9. 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. Siddle, Dave. This manuscript was handled by: Steven L. Shafer, MD. Kaplan, Desire. 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. Each manufacturing plant or node in the supply chain is referred to as agate-to-gate (GTG) life cycle inventory. Reusable LMAs in general appear to be made largely of silicone, lacking these same concerns for PVC/DEHP. Rogers, Tony. These included alternative routes and modes of transport from San Diego to New Haven, changes in autoclave loading practices and efficiency, and varied amounts of PVC in the disposable LMA. Once extracted, the tungsten is then shipped to a desired location for it to be manufactured into the metal compound. So, while this solution is not an easy fix, as it would require buyers to save their own waste, it does provide an alternative to the disposable razor waste crisis. Marine cargo ships use a fuel called heavy fuel oil which produces around 145,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). 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 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. A 2005 analysis published by U.K. Park Ridge, IL: American Society of Anesthesiologists, 1999, 15. SimaPro 7.3.2. Cited Here. The reusable LMA was found to have a more favorable environmental profile than the disposable LMA as used at Yale New Haven Hospital. Conversely, impacts can be reduced by autoclaving more LMAs at once or with other equipment with similar decontamination requirements. They report their waste production being at 340 tons, which represented an increase of 22% from 2015 (Bic). However, it is fairly easy to find what the disposable razors components are made of, due to its simplicity. The LMA was then dried with a cotton towel. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2009;53:6878, 19. Policy H-135.945: Encouraging Alternatives to PVC/DEHP Products in Health. Cad M, Webb T, Bjorksten A. After the products are packaged, there has to be a way for them to get to the end consumer. 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. LMAs may be composed of 40% DEHP by weight. 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 LCA can be used to compare alternative products, processes or services; compare alternative life cycles for a certain product . Impact Assessment. In this case it was very difficult to see what materials the product contained and exactly how it was manufactured (as the big manufacturing companies wouldnt disclose this information), so some of the data had to be assumed. There are various ways that the product can get there. 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). The natural half life of a large stock of reusable laryngeal mask airways at a teaching hospital. Sustainable Development Report. 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. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. The environmental effects of labor are often omitted from life cycle assessment studies, but are included here as part of the sensitivity analysis. Please try after some time. 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. a 4.1% (Bic). Disposable and reusable LMAs typically differ in material composition, packaging, reuse, and cost. Bic Disposable Razor (1975). Plastics News Europe, 19 Nov. 2009, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975. 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. 1. Life cycle assessment software I used GaBi 6 software, produced by PE International. Scope of the life cycle assessment for disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways (LMAs). What's the Difference Between Disposable and Reusable Razors for Women?Venus, www.gillettevenus.com/en-us/womens-shaving-guide/learning-to-shave/disposable-razors-vs-refillable-razors/. 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. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. 6,474. 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. 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 powder is then shaped, usually by the process of die stamping. 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 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. However, we can discuss the energy usage of different modes of transportation. 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. Address correspondence to Jodi Sherman, MD, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 333 Cedar Street, TMP3, New Haven, CT 06520. 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. The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 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. After the parts are manufactured it is time for the final product assembly. Polystyrene is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. Staff, RT. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. 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. The LMAs were first rinsed in tap water, scrubbed externally with a Hibiclens sponge and internally with a small scrub brush, and rinsed again.
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