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?). 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. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a framework for assessing the environmental impacts of product systems and decisions. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to identify the environmental risks of existing and planned products, services and manufacturing processes as well as identify strategic improvement opportunities. To make the handle and cartridges, these various plastics are heated together and melted together along with optional colorants and various filler materials. 1.Establish the purpose of the Eco-Indicator calculations Because of its high stability, PPO is a very widely used plastic for many different household items. All of these software packages and models are in widespread use by life cycle assessment practitioners in the US and internationally. Goal, scope and background The industrial packages sector has great importance for the transport sector in Europe. For example, the designer might think that the manufacturing stage would be the most impactful, when in reality for some products its the raw material extraction or its use phase. What makes for an easy, simple, and affordable mass produced and used product costs more in its long afterlife in the landfill, out of sight of the buyers awareness. This LCA is specific for surgical gowns used in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. Life Cycle Impact Assessment is the estimation of indicators of the environmental pressures in terms of e.g. How One Company Keeps Used Razors Out Of Oceans.Green Matters, Green Matters, 25 Sept. 2017, www.greenmatters.com/news/2017/09/25/Z1oInGt/razors-ocean. Once Terracycle has collected the waste, it is: broken down and separated by material. 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. Ans: (i) Significant growth in industry of super premium segment . Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) Hazard Summary. The company reported that with their hazardous waste in 2016 11 percent was recycled, 49 percent incinerated with energy recovery, 8 percent sent to land disposal, and 32 percent was sent off to be treated in another way (For You for Everyone Registration Document). 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 life-cycle assessment or LCA is a 'cradle to grave' analysis of the impact of a manufactured product on the environment. 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. The metal used for the razor blades is called Tungsten Carbide which is used in wear applications, such as shaving (Safety Razor). 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> They have estimated that they expend around 11.77 gigajoules of energy per ton of their products that they produce (For You For Everyone Registration Document) The BIC report also categorized the energy where they obtained the energy. American Medical Association (AMA). : Uses, Benefits, and Safety Facts.ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 17 June 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. After the parts are manufactured it is time for the final product assembly. Manufacturing Processes (RAZOR): KAI FACTORY: KAI Group.KAI FACTORY | KAI Group, www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/razor/. There are only two components for the BIC disposable razors which are the plastic body and razor blade. 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). 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. Their disposable nature causes them to be put into landfills faster than it takes them to be made, packaged, and shipped. 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. But this is expected from a large brand like Gillette. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS - CLEAN EDGE, NON DISPOSABLE RAZOR Q1. Lippiatt BC, Boyles AS. It is cheap and highly versatile, and can either be hard plastic material, or a soft foam material, making it one of the most common plastic materials manufactured and used (What Is Polystyrene? . However, BIC did report some of its transportation statistics. The Eco-Indicator for EPDM rubber includes the manufacturing of the rubber as well as the molding process. BIC Group, 2016, Sustainable Development Report. In this paper, many details about the life cycle stages were not included. 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. 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). 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). Put the blades in the steel recycling section. The razors are mainly made of plastic, so they will be decomposing at a very slow rate in the landfill. The differences in environmental impacts between these devices strongly favor reusable devices. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Disposable Bioreactors - BioProcess InternationalBioProcess International Upstream Processing Bioprocessing begins upstream, most often with culturing of animal or microbial cells in a range of vessel types (such as bags or stirred tanks) using different controlled feeding, aerating, and process strategies. These impacts are quantified here in terms of energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using general factors for US labor.22. A Comparison Life Cycle Assessment between Razor Blade and Electric Shaver. Dec. 2012. 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. The use of disposable razors is unsustainable with our growing population and increased demand. The reusable LMA was found to have a more favorable environmental profile than the disposable LMA as used at Yale New Haven Hospital. The main causes of the reusable LMA's environmental impacts are the steam used in the autoclave sterilizing machine and, to a lesser extent, the wastewater generated from washing the LMAs. 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's slogan 'Gillette - the best a man can get' is famous the world over. 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. 769 0 obj <>stream 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. Safety Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) Released from PVC Medical Devices. The polypropylene is sorted during recycling using a float test that separates it from other materials based on its ability to float due to its weight, then it is often melted down and reused in other product manufacturing. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2001;6:7680, 13. The Potential of Polypropylene.Recycling Today, Recycling Today, 17 July 2019, www.recyclingtoday.com/article/the-recycling-potential-of-polypropylene/. 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. 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. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to estimate the total environmental impacts from producing a good or service. On the other hand, extending the number of uses to 80 (doubling the lifetime) reduces GHG emissions by 9%. Anesth Analg 1998;87:921, 3. 3.Quantify the materials and processes This is based on our Life Cycle Inventory flows from phase 2. In conclusion, disposable razors are being used and thrown away at a rate that is unsustainable for the finite space on the planet. Part of this responsible shipping mentality forces them to change their packaging to be able to ship more at a time. Atlanta, 2012. BIC may be doing as much as possible to lessen the impact of the production of disposable razors, but due to the massive production it will because unsustainable, because of the energy input, material consumptions, and unrecyclable nature of disposable razors. LCAs can be used comparatively to assess different product or service design options or to identify environmental . Lv, Andrea Lind, and Tigist Fetene. Phenylene oxide, or PPO, is another common plastic material used in disposable razors. The blades, which are made from a carbide steel made using tungsten carbide, the handle, which is made from a combination of plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene, and phenylene oxide (PPO), and the cartridge, which is made up of these plastics and sometimes the carbide steel as well (Safety Razor, madehow.com). Packaging is an . Sinha R, Sunder R. Retiring reusable laryngeal mask airways after 40: an anaesthetist's dilemma. LeBlanc, Rick. Erosion time for the blades was difficult to find, yet tungsten steel does erode faster than the plastic elements to the disposable razor due to the carbon alloys brittle makeup. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2010. 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.). Address e-mail to [emailprotected]. Experience spanning from the market-leading environment and climate practice of a global top 10 law firm - to leading Europe's largest . Land transport like trains and trucks use diesel as fuel and that produced 138,700 BTU (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). BIC has noted however that they strive to be as efficient with materials used when it comes to their packaging. 2002/03 and 2005/06, to include an assessment of the effects of a range of behavioural assumptions on the life cycle environmental impacts of the reusable nappy types, and to compare these with each other and with modern disposable nappies. 1. endstream endobj 749 0 obj <>/Metadata 40 0 R/Pages 746 0 R/StructTreeRoot 63 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 750 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 746 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 751 0 obj <>stream The cartridge-based razor had a slightly higher impact due to the rubber parts which cant be separated from the plastic body. Polypropylene. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polypropylene. The blades are then carefully sharpened to create the razor blades. Contrary to common expectation, hair is actually pretty hard. Goodman EJ, Haas AJ. LCA for product sustainability. BIC says its product beats out other models by 59 percent. 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 is at this stage that very small amounts of other metals such as iron, silicon, and chromium may be added to the carbide to increase its strength and durability. 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 ]. E.P.A. Shavers. BICWorld, www.bicworld.com/en/our-products/shavers. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. xTkJ((5:Ome\%{yIlka;K=1 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. 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). The original LMA was a reusable device (Intavent International SA, Henley-on-Thames, UK). 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. 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. How Does Polystyrene Recycling Work?HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 Apr. 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. Comparison of the single use and reusable intubating laryngeal mask airway. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/cjd/qa_cjd_infection_control.htm. 2011, Packaging Technology and Science. Max Soft Disposable Razor For Women - 3 Pcs In A Pack. With such a fast accumulating waste and slow decomposition rate, there must be changes and incentive for companies to rethink the disposable razor. Eckelman, Matthew PhD*; Mosher, Margo; Gonzalez, Andres; Sherman, Jodi MD. 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. The natural half life of a large stock of reusable laryngeal mask airways at a teaching hospital. After that, the metal is pressed down to the desired blade thickness which is around 1mm (Manufacturing Processes). 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. The fewer LMAs placed in the autoclave, the larger the impacts on GHG emissions and global warming on each individual unit. Until now, we defined what we want to measure and collect in phase 1. LMA North America. Some error has occurred while processing your request. Marinella Levi. The Great Recovery was a project by the RSA working with Innovate UK which ran between 2012 and 2016. Figueredo E. Changes in the intracuff pressure of the laryngeal masks airway caused by repeated use. Polycarbonate production (14%), transportation via truck (15%), thermoforming (13%), and waste disposal (11%) cause the majority of the remaining emissions. Overall BIC is an industry leader when it comes to reducing the environmental impact that their disposable products make. %%EOF climate change, summer smog, resource depletion, acidification, human health effects, etc.
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