life cycle assessment of disposable razors

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Marinella Levi. Complete with an ergonomic shaped non-slip rubber handle for great control and maneuverability and easy rinse blades for 100% better rinsing (vs . 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. Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. There is uncertainty in several model assumptions. In this life cycle breakdown, I will be discussing what materials go into the making of disposable razors and what processes the materials go through in the operation of making a disposable razor. Additionally, the PVC-dominated material composition of the disposable LMA and associated packaging added significantly to its impacts. 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. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens Being that it is such a common and quickly replaced product, this is is a major issue in terms of waste. After that, the metal is pressed down to the desired blade thickness which is around 1mm (Manufacturing Processes). 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. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. Tungsten carbide is a carbide compound, made up of equal parts of tungsten and carbon. 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 environmental impacts of the 2 LMAs were estimated using SimaPro life cycle assessment software and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability impact assessment method. Subramaniar Trading Company. In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. Gillette Plastic Disposable Shaving Kit supermax, for Hotel. Europe, Plastic News. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a modeling tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of products and processes. Soulias M, Martin L, Garnier N, Juniot A, Aho L, Freysz M. Disposable vs reusable laryngeal mask airway: a cost-minimization analysis. 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. Through an examination of how the raw materials: carbide steel, tungsten steel, and a combination of the plastics: polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide of the razors decompose, and how much waste is accumulated in making the razors, an assessment can be made for the duration of their life cycle. In this case its the life-cycle of the cartridge-based razor. Finally, inclusion of the environmental impacts of labor for cleaning (from wages spent on goods and services) only nominally increases the total GHG and water impacts of reusable LMAs. 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. Our LCA team retains its reputation as the most experienced life cycle staff in North America. 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). Anesth Analg 2004;99:6267, 17. There are 3 key tasks in this step. Disposable razors are a product that can be found in almost any average bathroom. 1. 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. Int Anesthesiol Clin 2010;48:139, 24. Chicago: American Medical Association, 2006, 27. Recommendations for Infection Control for the Practice of Anesthesiology. The blades and lubricating strip were too light to be measured with our equipment so their weights were rounded to 1g. During a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), environmental impacts are evaluated throughout the entire life cycle of a product (production, use and disposal or recovery).This also includes the upstream and downstream processes associated with production (e.g., the production of . 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). 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. On the other hand, extending the number of uses to 80 (doubling the lifetime) reduces GHG emissions by 9%. The majority of life cycle human health impacts of disposable LMAs are caused by PVC use in packaging and the device itself. Several clinical trials comparing function and ease of placement demonstrated no significant difference between disposable and reusable versions,25 allowing hospitals to base purchase decisions on economic considerations alone. 769 0 obj <>stream Properties: Tungsten Carbide-An Overview. AZoM.com, 25 Nov. 2019, www.azom.com/properties.aspx?ArticleID=1203. 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. The life cycle assessment results shown here allow clinicians and health care administrators to understand the balance between direct benefits of a given LMA choice to local patient care and the environmental and human health impacts of that choice that occur far from the operating room. Bic Disposable Razor (1975). Plastics News Europe, 19 Nov. 2009, www.plasticsnewseurope.com/article/20091119/PNE/311199986/bic-disposable-razor-1975. The following document provides an introductory overview of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and describes the general uses and major components of LCA. Table 2 shows the results of alternate assumption on the overall results. In this paper, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of disposable medical face masks. Shabecoff, Philip. 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). Cargo planes and other transport aircraft use jet fuel which produces 135,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). The alloy must allow for easy manufacturing due to the high demand of disposable razors and enough strength to last through transportation and shelf holding. Max Soft Disposable Razor For Women - 3 Pcs In A Pack. Bics direct emissions were from: a combustion of fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and fuel oil, mainly used to heat buildings. endstream endobj 752 0 obj <>stream 2019, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/polystyrene-recycling.htm. 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. 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. One of the materials used is polypropylene, a thermoplastic addition polymer made from the combination of propylene monomers (Creative Mechanisms Staff, creativemechanisms.com). 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). The Fate of the Disposable Razor.Industrial Equipment News (IEN), 7 Aug. 2019, www.ien.com/product-development/news/21081402/the-fate-of-the-disposable-razor. The EPA has now stopped tracking the: impact of disposable razors on the environment and has no update on the figure (Olsen). Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. f'C58NQ}i:]1 $Nh@b8H|iWILGgj{J27]Xp0N@h+ !` >q Zhang TW, Dornfeld DA. 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. Biron, Michel. 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. 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). Safety Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) Released from PVC Medical Devices. 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. Silver Spring, MD: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002, 26. With the recommended use of three to ten uses for disposable razors, they quickly end up in the landfill to decompose. The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. American Medical Association (AMA). The studies have not found it to be harmful to drinking water, or public safety, however, it is an ongoing research of soil data that continues. However, we can discuss the energy usage of different modes of transportation. Due to the nature of the disposable razor, they are usually just thrown in the trash and sent off to a landfill. The differences in environmental impacts between these devices strongly favor reusable devices. 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. Reprints will not be available from the authors. The environmental impacts of the 2 LMAs were estimated using SimaPro life cycle assessment software and the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability impact assessment method. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. Buy Now. Polystyrene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene. What Is Polystyrene? Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, 16. An estimated 1 L of tap water was used to wash and rinse 1 LMA (or 40 L over a lifetime of 40 uses). Conversely, impacts can be reduced by autoclaving more LMAs at once or with other equipment with similar decontamination requirements. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. The 2 LMA options are nearly equivalent in terms of eutrophication impacts, but with different contributions. When you take your blades in to the scrap metal center, choose the steel recycling bin. It is a thermoplastic that exhibits high heat resistance, dimensional stability, and accuracy and is often combined with other plastics, such as polystyrene, due to various problems in its processing (Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide, Wikipedia.org). Environment Agency (Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the U.K.) investigated the impact of three diapering systems: cloth diapers with home wash, cloth diapers with commercial laundry, and disposable diapers. And then there's the water. 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. Chu L, Mathur P, Trudell J, Brock-Utne J. 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). At 20 reuse cycles,16 the results indicate an increase in emissions of nearly 20%. Address correspondence to Jodi Sherman, MD, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 333 Cedar Street, TMP3, New Haven, CT 06520. London Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. Brimacombe J, Keller C, Morris R, Mecklem D. A comparison of the disposable versus the reusable laryngeal mask airway in paralyzed adult patients. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Transportation, 2002, 14. may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group.KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. The plastic, however stable for the user, remains stable long after it is thrown away as well. The metal liquid then goes through a strengthening process called annealing. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. 3.Quantify the materials and processes Most of those razors just end up in a landfill because most countries are not recycling them. Contamination problems with reuse of laryngeal mask airways and laryngoscopes. Wages are then spent on food, entertainment, transport, and other economic activities that themselves have environmental impacts. This is where most of the complexity of an LCA is involved. 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. This means that it takes around 1 BTU to heat a 0.035-ounce razor blade to the desired temperature (Julabo et.al). We purchase the product in a store, use the product for removing unwanted body and facial hair until it eventually dulls, and then we toss it in the bathroom trash, unaware of where it goes or where it came from. 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). Phenylene oxide, or PPO, is another common plastic material used in disposable razors. Gillette Mach3 Disposable Razors for Men, 6 Count, Designed for Sensitive Skin. However, it is fairly easy to find what the disposable razors components are made of, due to its simplicity. Data Uncertainty. Then we collected and structured the data in phase 2. Main methodological choices . endstream endobj startxref We are proud that it is among the leading professional LCA software . One of their most popular products is the disposable razor, which they started to manufacture in 1975. use/disposable and multiple-use/washable surgical gowns. This assessment is exceptionally useful as it shows the designer what areas are the most impactful during the products life cycle. 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. 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. Dbendorf, Switzerland, 2011, 12. A life cycle assessment or analysis according to ISO 14040/14044 is an instrument of environmental and sustainability management. Thomas, G.P. 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. Biro P. Damage to laryngeal masks during sterilization. Uncertainties about the correctness of the model. They are resins that maintain a high dimensional stability, which helps create fast and cheap plastic razor handles (Safety Razor). Where material types were unknown, proxies were assumed from relevant literature,2 although more detailed material information from suppliers would permit a more robust analysis. 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). 2. to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without 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. Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. 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. Previous studies have examined the relative environmental profiles of reusables and disposables with regard to medical textiles7 and anesthetic drug trays.8 The present study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the life cycle impacts of disposable and reusable LMAs across several categories of environmental and human health impacts. E.P.A. The specific type or blend of plastic for BIC razors is used is called polystyrene (Europe). Die Basics 101: Intro to Stamping. The Fabricators, 18 July 2018, www.thefabricator.com/thefabricator/article/stamping/die-basics-101-intro-to-stamping. Eshwar Shop. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. All of which provides an easy user experience, but, takes a toll on the planet. After the reusable LMA was washed and dried, it was then placed into a heat seal pouch, made of polypropylene film and paper. In BIC factories they pride themselves in producing a quality product, so the blades go through a series of highly precise visual inspections with cameras which help with rejecting blades that do not meet BIC standards (Case Studies) After that they go through visual inspection is done be BIC employees to reject any blades that the cameras were not rejected by the inspection camera system, the blades are then send off to be coated and burned. 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). Atlanta, 2012. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/business/how-bic-lost-the-edge-to-gillette.html. 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. BIC reported that every year around 2.6 billion of their razors are chosen by consumers every year (Shaver's). 2011, Packaging Technology and Science. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology to assess the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life - from raw material extraction, manufacture and use, to end-of-life disposal, recycling or reuse. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included. 21 offers from $5.20. The cheap price of the razor does not reflect the high cost of its waste and impact on the environment. Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/technology/tungsten-processing#ref82029. How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed? Chronicle, 20 Aug. 2015, chronicle.kennametal.com/how-is-tungsten-carbide-formed/. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. LCAs can be used comparatively to assess different product or service design options or to identify environmental . The differences in environmental impacts between these devices may present a compelling consideration in device selection when concern for infection transmission is not a factor. The blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. Scope of the life cycle assessment for disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways (LMAs). 5.Interpret and analyse the results. 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). 3. What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal? AZoM.com, 2 Aug. 2009, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4827. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. Approximately 24 L/min of water are used by the autoclave for cooling, for a total of 960 L of water needed to sterilize an LMA 40 times. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts, ChemicalSafetyFacts.org,). Wolters Kluwer Health Once the plastic has cooled, the pieces are released from the moulds. 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. 11 / Piece. Production of razor blades across the industry is fairly standard. Pollution of the oceans from plastics has become an increasingly large issue that researchers are still assessing. 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. Disposable razors are a product that can be found in almost any average bathroom. The original LMA was a reusable device (Intavent International SA, Henley-on-Thames, UK).

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