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). Waste is not only a problem when a product is disposed of, but also when it is initially manufactured. Gillette Mach3 Men's Disposable Razor for Sensitive Skin - Best Cartridge Razor for Sensitive Skin. Its an extremely strong and durable metal compound, making it perfect for the use of razor blades (Siddle, How Is Tungsten Carbide Formed?; Tungsten Carbide. Wikipedia.org). : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts, ChemicalSafetyFacts.org,). The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. Life cycle assessment of stainless-steel reusable speculums versus What Is Polystyrene? 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. Julabo Gmbh, et al. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Sustainability Assessment - Fraunhofer The majority (77%) of life cycle CO2e emissions for the reusable LMA is from natural gas production and combustion to produce steam for the autoclave machine. Some error has occurred while processing your request. What Is Tungsten Carbide or Hard Metal? AZoM.com, 2 Aug. 2009, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4827. The plastic handle and head of the disposable razor consists of a hybrid of polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide, also known as PPO. 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. The high waste from manufacturing and shipping such a small, and cheap product is one that is negatively impacting the planet. Safety Razor. How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Once extracted, the tungsten is then shipped to a desired location for it to be manufactured into the metal compound. Table 2 shows the results of alternate assumption on the overall results. When designing a product for circularity it is often difficult to know where to begin. Figueredo E. Changes in the intracuff pressure of the laryngeal masks airway caused by repeated use. The blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. A Comparison Life Cycle Assessment between Razor Blade and Electric Shaver. Dec. 2012. However, of the 2 billion razors disposed of annually, about 32% end up in the ocean (Kaplan). At the end of applying the additives, the blades are once again heated, to cement the coating onto the blade. DEHP leaches out upon exposure to heat and lipids, as would be the case in contact with mucous membranes. 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. Life cycle assessment - Environmental Assessment and Optimization Group 5.Interpret and analyse the results. Life Cycle Assessment - Sustainability Guide Anesth Analg 1998;87:921, 3. BIC has noted however that they strive to be as efficient with materials used when it comes to their packaging. Data is temporarily unavailable. Comparison of disposable and reusable laryngeal mask airways in spontaneously ventilating adult patients. These are the reasons why I will carry out an Eco-Indicator Assessment instead of a full LCA. Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): from Theory to Practical a Centers for Disease Control. 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. Please try after some time. Case Studies. Case Studies : Reducing BIC's Rejection Rates | KEYENCE America, www.keyence.com/solutions/case-studies/bic.jsp. 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). Plastics are cleaned and pelletized to be recycled into new products, such as picnic tables and park benches. The metal liquid then goes through a strengthening process called annealing. xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 Cad M, Webb T, Bjorksten A. Any extra plastic will be discarded, remelted, and reused (Safety Razor, madehow.com). To create the metal compound, carbon is added to the purified tungsten in a complex chemical process where the materials are heated to over 2,200 degrees celsius. The biggest impact during the cartridge-based razor life-cycle is manufacturing the cartridge as this is the part which is hardest to make. The study found that: It all starts with the melting and combining of the desired metal. The original LMA was a reusable device (Intavent International SA, Henley-on-Thames, UK). Using Life Cycle Assessments to Understand Cloth vs. Disposables - BAHP Anesth Analg 1993;77:1079, 21. Can J Anaesth 2001;48:40912, 22. In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. 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. Staff, Creative Mechanisms. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. Terracycle. 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. Online Course Life Cycle Assessment | MIT Professional Education International Sympsium on Sustainable Systems and Technology. Disposable BIC razors are hollow and made using injection molding, but making the razors hollow is only possible because of the fluid nature of polystyrene (The Bic Razor, Still the Sharpest of the Bunch.). 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations Ann Fr Anesth Reanim 2006;25:8114, 7. Highlights The EPA has now stopped tracking the: impact of disposable razors on the environment and has no update on the figure (Olsen). A life-cycle assessment or LCA is a 'cradle to grave' analysis of the impact of a manufactured product on the environment. 748 0 obj <> endobj More immediate levels of waste, however, happen during the processing of disposable razors before they are even brought to the buyer and the landfill. Life cycle assessment of bio-based products: a disposable diaper case 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. And then there's the water. The razors are mainly made of plastic, so they will be decomposing at a very slow rate in the landfill. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. It is used in razor manufacturing mainly due to its high heat and water resistance, making it ideal for the conditions the product is used in. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. Siddle, Dave. 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. The Nation's Freight: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Marine cargo ships use a fuel called heavy fuel oil which produces around 145,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Product Ecology (PR) Consultants, 2011, 11. 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. Their disposable nature causes them to be put into landfills faster than it takes them to be made, packaged, and shipped. 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. Flying staff to meetings, shipping, and distributing the product is the highest offender for the planet. To begin the process of making tungsten carbide, the tungsten must first be extracted. Reusable LMAs in general appear to be made largely of silicone, lacking these same concerns for PVC/DEHP. Metal materials are sent for smelting and conversion to new alloys (Terracycle). 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. Wages are then spent on food, entertainment, transport, and other economic activities that themselves have environmental impacts. 13, 14 There are few published life cycle assessment studies of medical items (ref. Tungsten has a high melting point and is used mainly for strong tools unless used for smaller applications when combined with a carbon alloy: Its alloys are employed in rocket-engine nozzles and other aerospace applications (Safety Razors). 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. Our team of experts has many years of experience in the ecological evaluation of products and services. 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. 11,772. After the products make their way to consumers and serve their purpose, the waste must be dealt with. 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). Amazon.com: Bulk Disposable Razors The blades and lubricating strip were too light to be measured with our equipment so their weights were rounded to 1g. Life cycle assessment is a "cradle-to-grave" approach for determining the financial and environmental costs of a product over its entire life. 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. 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%. Resources, Conservation & Recycling 156 (2020) 104704. a 4.1% (Bic). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 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. In the case of the disposable razor however, it is fairly simple due to its nature. 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 Since then, around 60 billion razors have been produced, distributed, and sold worldwide. 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 materials used in the production of disposable razors are limited due to the products simplicity however, many of the materials are unsustainable in that they are not biodegradable or easily recyclable, and require heavy energy input to manufacture. The buyer online is not exposed to the long lasting waste of the razors after they are thrown out. 2011, Packaging Technology and Science. The Ramboll Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found that, assuming realistic usage over a year, the energy consumption involved in the use phase of reusable plastic and traditional crockery, during in-store or out-sourced washing and drying, outweighed the environmental impact of single-use paper dishes. A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. (ii)Access paramount's competitive position? 45. J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. Marvel Product Razor Lady Body Shaver Disposable Razore. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. The use of disposable razors is unsustainable with our growing population and increased demand. : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts.ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. For me, I had a few extra bits of plastic that I snapped off because they . Zhang TW, Dornfeld DA. Siddle, Dave. The metal is then heated and then cooled slowly to remove any internal stress, which makes it tougher, this process is called annealing (Safety Razor). After that, the metal is pressed down to the desired blade thickness which is around 1mm (Manufacturing Processes). For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. The life of a typical razor blade is not an easy one. Polyphenylene Oxides.Polyphenylene Oxides - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/polyphenylene-oxides. Life cycle environmental impacts of disposable medical masks The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. LeBlanc, Rick. mmw*vA|5v*3n9IUt){e%!HN6@` xcr@pz*Fbiq%1!TJ-CF*1OS|UZU\vQL7M?m'b-,r~S}Y&/{#U6U)S|%q[RB !3j~tj$h>5qtsJ./j?;eosyy*"Z`'wG"M6]O}UKqw[LzY9e B,s&C4++_tI~& Me*lNU"Uigq\u7{:&VNC'rT]FB5jOa.%N%1*stBC]%y&RDs"#&iUX&?8sh:wJo ZjbO|KFmfC{:oX~'b> E.P.A. 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). 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). There are various ways that the product can get there. BIC put out a report detailing how they deal with the waste from their factories. A major flaw in the disposable razors design is in fact its inability to be sustainably and properly disposed, despite what its name suggests. . What Is Tungsten Carbide?" Reusable LMA cleaning was observed to proceed as follows. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. Nash, Nathaniel C. HOW BIC LOST THE EDGE TO GILLETTE. The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Apr. This is done on an assembly line by the robotic arm the inserts the razor blade into the small crevices in the plastic body. Land transport like trains and trucks use diesel as fuel and that produced 138,700 BTU (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). 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. 11 / Piece. 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. Disposable and reusable nappies in the UK: life cycle assessment Life Cycle Assessments - Diaper Answers 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 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. An updated lifecycle assessment for disposable and reusable nappies Report that looks at the effect of disposable and reusable nappies on global warming and other environmental impacts. The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. Staff, RT. 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). 769 0 obj <>stream :396?Qkt)e. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable - LWW Recycling of Polypropylene (PP). AZoCleantech.com, 25 June 2012, www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=240. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. 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. Gillette's slogan 'Gillette - the best a man can get' is famous the world over. Steel Life Cycle.SSAB, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF. BIC states that it prides itself on producing affordable, safe, and quality razors for its customers worldwide. From:. 1. 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. LMA Classic Product Specifications, 2011, 10. Gillette Mach3 Disposable Razors for Men, 6 Count, Designed for Sensitive Skin. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE | Science Inventory - US EPA Our LCA team retains its reputation as the most experienced life cycle staff in North America. 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). LCA is a standardized, science-based tool for quantifying the impact in order to assess lifetime environmental impact. Atlanta, 2012. Then we collected and structured the data in phase 2. 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. 3. Tungsten is a natural metal deposit that is found in metamorphic, and granitic igneous rocks, primarily in China, Russia, South Korea, South America, and the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Anesthesia & Analgesia114(5):1067-1072, May 2012. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. Anesthesiology 2003;99:1066, 6. Anesth Analg 2012;114:105566, 8. London 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. This document is an update and merger of two previous EPA documents on LCA ("Life Cycle Assessment: Inventory Guidelines and Principles," EPA/600/R-92/245, and "LCA101" from the LCAccess, website . It can be used to study the environmental impact of either a product or the function the product is designed to perform. The LMA, within the heat seal pouch, was then placed in the steam autoclave sterilizing machine (Castle/Getinge MC 3522). Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. use/disposable and multiple-use/washable surgical gowns. The 1% of the material that is recycled however, goes through a 5 step recycling process which is collecting, sorting, cleaning, reprocessing, and producing new products. Gillette Sensor3 Sensitive Men's Disposable Razors : Target These benefits must be weighed against concerns regarding transmission of infection. Product Ecology (PR) Consultants. Life Cycle Assessment explained: an introduction to building LCA Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, 16. Being that it is such a common and quickly replaced product, this is is a major issue in terms of waste. 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. Sensor3 disposable razors for men feature an enhanced Lubrastrip with water activated Comfortgel technology for ultra-gentle shaving on your sensitive skin. The Great Recovery was a project by the RSA working with Innovate UK which ran between 2012 and 2016. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. 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 . 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).). Hedrick, Art. 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.
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