For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Here, Great Recovery Intern Sebastian de Cabo Portugal discusses Life Cycle Assessments. Tungsten Carbide. Encyclopdia Britannica, Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., 17 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/tungsten-carbide. 5.Interpret and analyse the results. I found information about the whole blade manufacturing process, but could not find details about energy consumption in every step of the process. Tungsten carbide is a carbide compound, made up of equal parts of tungsten and carbon. These steps are not necessarily conducted in succession, but iteratively. BIC reported that the weight of one of their most popular disposable razors is 8.8 grams (Shavers). 2 offers from $9.92. Choosing a less-green disposable will magnify your razor's manufacturing impact, but it won't change the overall picture very much. WC2N 6EZ, Redesigning the razor Life Cycle Assessment. life cycle assessment European Environment Agency Safety Razor. How Products Are Made www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Because the human health impacts of the disposable LMAs are dominated by plastics, increasing the amount of PVC by 10% leads to a significant (>5%) increase in cancer and noncancer effects. 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. 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 Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Labor. The cartridge-based razor had a slightly higher impact due to the rubber parts which cant be separated from the plastic body. (ii)Access paramount's competitive position? If you count the actual razor cover (if you haven't lost it long ago) then it will be four pieces for recycling. The designed short user-time of disposable razors, causes their life cycle to be spent mostly in the landfill where they will remain for hundreds of years due to non-biodegradable plastic, however, recycling the plastic and steel is possible if sent to specific recycling facilities, which could reduce the life cycle and negative impact on the environment. 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? Address correspondence to Jodi Sherman, MD, Yale University, School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, 333 Cedar Street, TMP3, New Haven, CT 06520. Chu L, Mathur P, Trudell J, Brock-Utne J. 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). A Comparison Life Cycle Assessment between Razor Blade and Electric Shaver. Dec. 2012. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Complete Beginner's Guide - Ecochain J Clin Anesth 1997;9:432, 20. BIC currently holds around 11 percent market share in disposable razors (Nash). Depending upon on how the razor is packaged, the finished cartridge may or may not be assembled onto the handle of the razor, as some companies choose to package the handle detached the cartridge(s). (PDF) A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable - academia.edu To go from raw materials to final product involves many steps and heavy energy input. Environmental LCA - Life Cycle Initiative Plastics are cleaned and pelletized to be recycled into new products, such as picnic tables and park benches. . The use of disposable razors is unsustainable with our growing population and increased demand. BIC Disposable Razor Design Life-Cycle Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc., 26 Sept. 2012, www.britannica.com/technology/tungsten-processing#ref82029. Where regulations permit, disposal of LMA-related waste as regular municipal waste, as opposed to biohazardous waste, should also reduce the adverse health effects stemming from medical waste incineration. The unit cost of disposable LMAs is 20% higher at approximately $9.60 per unit. The second component of the razor is the plastic body which is made of a fairly inexpensive plastic called polystyrene. The metal liquid then goes through a strengthening process called annealing. A Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable and Single-Use Central V - LWW Life cycle environmental impacts of disposable medical masks Marine cargo ships use a fuel called heavy fuel oil which produces around 145,000 BTU per gallon (Energy Consumption by Mode of Transportation.). From the *Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA; School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine/YaleNew Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT. Funding: Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine. Life Cycle Assessment | EcoAct Ison E, Miller A. BIC has done their best to deal with waste in an environmentally conscious manner. An updated lifecycle assessment for disposable and reusable nappies To begin the process of creating the razor blades, tungsten carbide, which is the metal that the blades and other optional components are made of, must first be manufactured. At 20 reuse cycles,16 the results indicate an increase in emissions of nearly 20%. After the plastic body is manufactured it goes through inspections similar to ones the blades go through. Alternate assumptions were used to test model sensitivity and to create bounds to aid interpretation of the results (Table 2). Ask a worker if you can put them in the bin by themselves or if they need to be in a recyclable container to protect sanitation workers from being cut. EPA. 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. endstream endobj startxref 21 offers from $5.20. Safety Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) Released from PVC Medical Devices. Sustainability | Free Full-Text | Reducing the Environmental Impact of %%EOF A Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable Razors. Int Anesthesiol Clin 2010;48:139, 24. The alloy is strong enough to resist moisture for a short time in the buyers shower, yet, in the landfill, it does eventually rust and decompose. 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. 8 John Adam Street 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). Steel Life Cycle.SSAB, www.ssab.com/company/sustainability/sustainable-offering/steel-life-cycle?di=discover21C927E58ECC41198B78D915F7E3E2AF. James Drinkwater - Head of Built Environment - LinkedIn These are the reasons why I will carry out an Eco-Indicator Assessment instead of a full LCA. How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use of TCE Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee. 2017. Introduction Paper diapers are roughly divided into two types: those for infants and those for adults. Sensor3 disposable razors for men feature an enhanced Lubrastrip with water activated Comfortgel technology for ultra-gentle shaving on your sensitive skin. There is also an additional resin called fluorine resin that is applied to the blades, which allows them to freely glide on the skin. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) - A Complete Guide to LCAs The specific type or blend of plastic for BIC razors is used is called polystyrene (Europe). American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Task Force on Infection Control. Sustainable Development at BIC . 6 Jan. 2011. 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). 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. Terracycle. The total amount of direct GHG emissions in 2016 was estimated at 8,689 teqCO2, i.e. 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.). 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. Life Cycle Assessment - definition & methodology. Soulias M, Martin L, Garnier N, Juniot A, Aho L, Freysz M. Disposable vs reusable laryngeal mask airway: a cost-minimization analysis. 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. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for analyzing the environmental impacts and resources used throughout a product's life, from raw materials extraction to production, and extending through product use and disposal. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing the potential environmental aspects and potential aspects associated with a product (or service), by: compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs, evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs, 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. Anyone can send in razors of any kind, and the plastic and cardboard packaging as well. Features Downloads. For You for Everyone Registration Document. Thomas, G.P. What Is Tungsten Carbide?" Here's How to Keep Your Razors from Contributing to Landfill Waste. USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/07/landfill-waste-how-prevent-disposable-razor-plastic-pollution/1943345001/. Life Cycle Assessment - Sustainability Guide With the recommended use of three to ten uses for disposable razors, they quickly end up in the landfill to decompose. 45. Innovative and strategic advisor to leading philanthropies, corporates, governments, international institutions and NGOs. Safety Razor.How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Safety-Razor.html. Assessing all steps in that life cycle provides insight into individual stresses and burden shifts from one step to another and enables understanding of both the cumulative environmental impacts and related trade-offs in each area, throughout the lifespan of both a facility and its manufactured products. LCA for product sustainability. To compile a detailed life cycle inventory of the environmental burdens Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A Guide to Best Practice - ResearchGate Life cycle assessment - Universitetet i Agder The razors are mainly made of plastic, so they will be decomposing at a very slow rate in the landfill. 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). 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 of stainless-steel reusable speculums versus Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2010. 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. After reaching the end of their useful lives, both LMAs and their respective packages entered waste management, which was modeled using US average statistics on recycling/composting, landfilling, and incineration.15 Although some incineration facilities also produce electricity, this credit is not included here. The carbon footprint reported was separated into two sections which are direct and indirect emissions. LMA North America. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) is where the impacts on the environment are calculated. Life cycle assessment comparison among different reuse intensities for What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? - Sphera A Life Cycle Assessment is the systematic analysis of the environmental impact of products during their entire life cycle. The results also suggest effective procurement strategies for reducing the impacts of disposable LMAs where they are selected. 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). McGain F, McAlister S, McGavin A, Story D. The financial and environmental costs of reusable and single-use plastic anaesthetic drug trays. The metal is then quenched in water to bring it to -76 to -112 degrees Fahrenheit to harden the material (Safety Razor).
life cycle assessment of disposable razors