Product LCA

Original Product: Oral-B Indicator Toothbrush

Lifetime, Functional Unit & System Boundaries
.1 hour/day x 90 days (.25 years) = 9 hour Lifetime
System Boundary: This analysis will NOT include packaging, toothpaste, or water use while brushing

Bill of Materials Amount Unit Okala Factor Millipoints Unit Okala Impact Millipoints
Nylon 6 .2 Oz 56 Lb .7
Polypropylene
(Primary PP) .5 Oz 13 Lb .41
Soft Rubber
(PBR Elastomer) .3 Oz 23 Lb .43
Injection Molding 1 Oz 10 Lb .625
16 Ton Truck 5 Ton/mil 2.4 Ton/mil 12
Landfill
Nylon 6 .2 Oz 8.4 Lb .11
Polypropylene (Primary PP) .5 Oz 7.2 Lb .225
Soft Rubber (PBR Elastomer) .3 Oz 23 Lb .43
Total 14.93
Impact Per Hour 14.93/9 = 1.66

Bristles:
Nylon 610

Handle:
Polypropylene

Grips:
Soft Rubber

• Polypropylene can be achieved via extrusion and molding. Most common is injection molding
• Polypropylene is commonly recycled by itself and holds the number “5” as its resin identification code. However, in combination with the other materials in the toothbrush, recycling is nearly impossible.

Transportation
• Oral-B Plant is located in Iowa City, IO and is shipped by ground transportation
• Standard 16 ton truck is assumed shipping method

Disposal
The packaging carries the recycling code applicable to that material. Due to the dissimilar materials (bristles and handle are two different materials) and that toothbrushes have staples securing the bristles, they cannot be recycle coded.
It is believed that recycling via returning the product uses more energy and irreplaceable raw materials (in the form of oil) than it saves.
However, the toothbrush can be turned into a wonderful kitchen vegetable brush and is very handy for years after it has retired from its oral hygiene role



Alternative Toothbrush

Possible Replacement Product:
• “Source Toothbrush” made of recycled dollar bills or wood,
93% Recycled Material - 47% Renewable Resource
. Source handles are molded from recycled US Dollar bills/Recycled Flax and Recycled Wood all blended with recycled polypropylene resulting in a bio-plastic that is 100% renewable or recycled. Lightweight unbreakable replacement heads made from surgical-grade nylon.
Dramatically increases softness and efficacy of brushing with 65% more bristle tufts than ordinary toothbrush.
Reversible for both Right or Left handed brushing - Available in soft or medium bristles.
Handle lasts forever - the head can be discarded as you would a razor blade!
• Longer Life
• Replaceable Heads
• Cellulose Propionate Handle


Materials
• Cellulose Propionate, a wood based natural plastic, 93% of which is derived from sustainable yield forests in North Carolina (HDPE secondary assumed because it is the most similar to cellulose propionate in impact rating)
• Natural Rubber in grips

Production
• Although injection molding is the most common process in crafting plastics, extrusion could also be used and has a lower impact

Transportation
• Currently Oral-B Toothbrushes are shipped by truck, this could be improved by utilizing freight trains if the proper infrastructure was in place, lowering the impact

Disposal
• Currently the biggest problem concerning toothbrushes is that they are designed to be replaced constantly, therefore they are made with inexpensive high-impact materials and are thrown into landfills at the first possible moment
• The movement towards toothbrushes with replaceable heads and durable handles are the best bet to moving towards a lower impact product

Bill of Materials Amount Unit Okala Factor Millipoints Unit Okala Impact Millipoints
Nylon 6 .2 Oz 56 Lb .7
Cellulose Propionate
(HDPE secondary) .5 Oz 8 Lb .25
Natural Rubber .3 Oz 4.1 Lb .08
Extrusion 1 Oz 2.9 Lb .18
Train, freight 5 Ton/mil 0.45 Ton/mil 2.25
Landfill
Nylon 6 .2 Oz 8.4 Lb .11
Cellulose Propionate
(HDPE secondary) .5 Oz 8.4 Lb .26
Natural Rubber .3 Oz 7.2 Lb .135
Total 3.97
Impact Per Hour 3.97/9 = .44




References
• www.wikipedia.org
Researching synthetic materials, the history of the toothbrush, injection molding, and extrusion processes
• http://www.oralb.com/en-US/products/default.aspx#f=0_0&overlay=indicator&s=&rd=3_0
Information on Product specifications and materials
• http://osdir.com/ml/culture.backpacking.backpackgeartest/2003-07/msg00845.html
Information on weight of a toothbrush to analyze materials and components