Revlon Airblade High-Speed Body Dryer Sustainability - Case Study Example

Report on Product Sustainability Name: University: Instructor: Course Title: Date: A Sustainability Report on Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer Executive Summary The goal of the report was to look at the sustainability of body drier as a product within the context of life cycle analysis by looking at how it impacts on the environment through global warming. This is based on the realisation that most economies are going green and the same is applicable to Australia where firms are required to engage in sustainability reporting. In the report, it was found out that the impact of Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer is minimal as compared to other competing body dryers and other products that can be used to dry one’s body. At the material acquisition it was found out that the most contributing agents are the electronic components followed by the covering ones. However, in comperative view, the impact was less as it stood at 212. 2 Kg CO2 Eq. For manufacturing, use and disposal there was mixed results for the same. At manufacturing, the impact on climate change per dryer is approximately 48 Kg CO2 Eq. this is a fair outcome as compared to other products that are used to dry human body like towels which have a score of 2660 Kg CO2 Eq. the highlight was at use where the product scores low is has to use electricity every now and then. The other positive bit was at the disposal where 80% of cardboard packaging is recovered and recycled at displacement rate of 0.75 Kg of new cardboard. In addition, 20% of the un-recycled cardboard and other wastes are burnt in the incinerator while others sent to landfills. At the incineration 0.65 Kwh is recovered allowing the process to be accredited with 0.632 g CO2 per Kg of waste burnt. The report did analysis of step to step of the products life cycle right from cradle to grave. The report thus, recommends the product to Australian market as an alternative to other products used to drying body like towel which have higher impact towards climate change. Table of Contents Executive Summary ii Table of Contents iii 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Product and Production Process 1 2.1 Background about the Body Drier 1 2.2 Production process, Required Equipments and Facilities 1 3.0 Sustainability Issues 2 3.1 Materials Extraction 3 3.2 Material Manufacturing, Usage and End of Life 4 4.0 Conclusion 5 References 6 Appendices 7 Appendix 1: Principal Characteristics of the Body Dryer 7 Appendix 2: Production Process of Body Dryer 8 Appendix 3: System Boundary and Characteristics of Body Dryer 9 Appendix 4: Raw Materials used in Production of a Body Dryer 10 Appendix 5: Raw Materials used in Production of a Body Dryer 11 Appendix 6: Contributors to the Material Production Stage and their Climate Change Score 12 1.0 Introduction The issue of sustainability has gained a paramount position at global and domestic scale. Since the Brundtland report, there has been realisation that the long term survival of humanity is tied on how best they manage their environment. This calls upon manufacturers to produce products which are environmentally friendly and less carbon footprints. One of the approaches that have been advocated for in the built environment is the leadership in energy and environment design. Chemists and environmentalist have come with approaches like life cycle assessment to establish the long term effect of products on the environment. This report outlines sustainability plan for Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer in Australian market. 2.0 Product and Production Process 2.1 Background about the Body Drier Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer is a new gadget in Australian market that is used to offer drying solutions after taking a bath. This is an amazing invention worth having in a house since it only takes a maximum of 6 seconds to dry one’s body and it function differently from other already existing competitors. This makes it the fastest body drier in the world. Within turning on, the hand drier has ability to reach 500 mph within one second allowing it to blow away water from the body very fast. The uniqueness in its functionality is that its mortar rotates up to 90, 000 times per minute, uses up to 90% less energy and it has HEPA filter which clears 99.9% of bacteria from the air. In addition, the drier is automatic thus, eliminating the need for pressing button. As an environmentally engineered product, the product is NSF Certified in the category of hygienic commercial body drier number P. 335 (see appendix 1). 2.2 Production process, Required Equipments and Facilities The production process of a hand drier is a complex process that involves numerous inputs that undergo different process to produce the final product. This is made complex by the fact that the company adheres to various certifications so as to produce environmentally friendly body driers as stipulated in ISO 14040 and 14044 of determining life cycle impacts. One of the critical areas that consume a lot of raw materials during the production process is the cover which is either stainless steel, plastic or chrome finish. The different models consequently affect the raw materials used. The raw materials used in producing Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer made of steel cover include galvanised steel, steel, Al recycled, Al, zinc, card, copper, wood, nylon, ceramic, polythene, PBT and other materials (Environmental Resource Management, 2001, p.5). The Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer is made of a front cover which has at least one bent portion and with a one end coupling portion. The next is the sides casing with all of the two casings having coupling section. The production process of the composite casing entails severing reproduced steel rough material. This is then moulded through stamping and holding. After that, the next stage is to cut the moulded sides and bend them. The subsequent ones which are final involve removing surface coating, welding, surface polishing & plaiting and Surface coating (Hsu, 2007, p.2); (see appendix, 2). Finally, other components which are outsourced as finished products like motor, fan, sensor, wires are fitted into the casing to produce the final product. For the assembly of these components into a finished high speed body drier capital equipments and facilities like high intensity moulders are required, crushers and cooling drums among others are required. 3.0 Sustainability Issues With the emergence of the sustainable development concept in the early 1970s, the business operation framework has also shifted (Ortas and Moneva, 2011, p.17). Globally, there is the realization that firms can not only base their performance on profits recouped alone (Geraghty, 2010, p.141). Ethical approaches to doing business have over the years gained a paramount position. Sustainability calls for utilization of earth resources with the future generation in consideration. Sustainable development thus focuses on creating a balance between human economic need, social need and environmental need (Hubbard, 2011, p.824 and 825). Therefore, firms as one of the main users or earthly resources are encouraged to be proactive in this agenda. The best approach of determining sustainability of a product is through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This is a concept developed in order to assess the overall environmental impact of products, processes, or services right from design up to disposal by comparing products doing the same services According to international standardization (ISO) reference number ISO 14040: 1997 (E). Potential effects analysed include fossil fuel depletion, other non renewable resource use, water use, global warming, and ozone depletion among others (Carmody and Trusty, 2005, p. 1 &2). The assessment across the life cycle is also called cradle to grave approach. The noted effects are either beneficial or destructive in nature. The LCA process entails collection and evaluation of quantitative data on the inputs and outputs of material, energy and waste flows related to the product over its whole life cycle so as to determine the environmental impacts (Horne, Grant and Verghese, 2009, p. 2 and 3). These effects are best evaluated in the production phase and the use phase. The parameters give what is known as system boundary. See appendix 3 for system boundary of Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer. 3.1 Materials Extraction Material extraction is a continuous process right from the raw material acquisition to the disposal of the product at the end of its life cycle. The steps outlined here are interrelated and iterative. In this section, material extraction to be considered are those input that are required for the production of a body dryer, motor, fan, sensor, wires and the support process that consume raw materials like boilers and moulders which use electricity. Moreover, the data to be provided are for a single unit of Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer. Most of the materials are sourced outside Australia with the main supplying plants being in China. To manufacture a single unit numerous raw materials averaging 20 are required with measurements being in milligrams (mg), millimetres (mm2) kilo joules (kj); (see appendix 4 & 5). Raw material extraction relates to earthly based resources that are found in ores that need processing before being used. Most of these materials are sourced already processed with the major process remaining is to mix them and produce the final product. The other aspect of raw material extraction relates to the energy used in heating the raw materials and these used in sustaining the whole industrial process which are obtained locally from Australia including hydro electric power and coal (see appendix 4 & 5). Some raw materials that are used in the process require processing before being used at the plant so as to produce compounds and chemicals that are necessary to the production process. This implies that most extracted raw materials are not used directly, but after value addition. Raw material extraction involves a great deal of interfering with the natural environment and processes. These include dereliction which contributes to clearance of vegetation and eye sores. The second is the transportation of the same to processing plants which leads to emission of carbon monoxide that has been blamed for ozone layer depletion and global warming. Others include crushing, resultant chemical wastes, solid and liquid wastes. The advantage is that the negative impact is minimal as compared to other equipments of the same function making it sustainable as compared to the withdrawn resources (Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.i). the reason behind is because the energy spent, raw materials spent after manufacturing is less as compared to other competitors like towels which requires tedious process of production. There are numerous contributors to the production stage of the materials. It is these components that are important in producing the body drier once mixed in certain proportions and thus, they are equally responsible for determining climate change score for materials production of the body drier. These components include zinc cover which contributes 7.3 % of the score on climate change, resin cover which contributes 10.7%, steel cover taking 9.5%, optics assembly at 23.7% and control assembly at 149.6% of the score on climate change. During material production, the body drier contributes a total score of 212. 2 Kg CO2 Eq to climate change. If broken down statistically, the greatest contributor to climate change during production phase is the electronic components such as motor and sensors. These electronic components contribute 149.6 % followed by cover and frame materials (Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.15); (see appendix 6). This is less as compared to other competitors like towel. 3.2 Material Manufacturing, Usage and End of Life After materials have been extracted from their raw form, the next step is to manufacture the body dryer. This involves assembling the different parts that have been assembled from different location moving from one stage to the next till the end in the company’s plant. The effects of the materials used during manufacturing are in two ways. The first is the direct impact and the second is as a result of reaction that creates a new product. At this stage of manufacturing, the impact on climate change per dryer is approximately 48 Kg CO2 Eq. this is a fair outcome as compared to other products that are used to dry human body like towels which have a score of 2660 Kg CO2 Eq. the figure even becomes sublime in the stage of transportation as it only accounts for 1% to climate change during its life time. In terms of impact during use, it is proven that most of the impacts by body dryer are tied to use of electricity. The truth about this product is that it uses 80% less energy as compared to other conventional body driers. The product is a certified green product that meets the requirements of NSF and LEED certification. Research has shown that this product uses 3.7% less energy as compared to other existing competitors during its lifetime. At the end of life of a body drier which 5 years an estimated 50, 000 shall have been dried if it is in a public places like hotels. This is low as compared to environmental impact in terms of global warming, human health and water quality. During this time, 80% of cardboard packaging is recovered and recycled at displacement rate of 0.75 Kg of new cardboard. In addition, 20% of the un-recycled cardboard and other wastes are burnt in the incinerator while others sent to landfills. At the incineration 0.65 Kwh is recovered allowing the process to be accredited with 0.632 g CO2 per Kg of waste burnt (Montalbo, Gregory, and Kirchain, 2011, p.18). 4.0 Conclusion The ultimate goal of this report was to outline the sustainability report of one of the company’s products. The product which was under consideration was Revlon Airblade High Speed Body Dryer. The basis of conducting the same is based on the realisation that business performance can’t be measured on profit recouped alone, but also on how industrialists care for the environment as a corporate social responsibility and as fact that impacts on human survival. The emerging finding is that within its life cycle the body dryer has minimal impact in terms of climate change as compared to other competing products that do the same functions. As compared to towels, the product has a higher impact during use and low one during material acquisition, manufacturing and end of life. This implies that from a comparative perspective this body drier has the lowest potential of Global Warming. References Carmody, J. and Trusty, W. 2005. Life cycle assessment tools. Informe Design. Vol. 05 issue 03. Dettling, J. and Margni, M. 2009. Comperative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Hand Drying Systems: The XLERATOR Hand Dryer, Conventional Hand Dryers and Paper Towel Systems. Salem , MA: Quantis. Environmental Resource Management, 2001. Study Prepared for Airdri Ltd and Bobrick Washroom Equipment Inc.: Streamline Life Cycle Assessment Study. Retrieved on 1 October, 2012 from: http://plippo.com/eco/eco_pdf/Paper_Towels_VS_Drier.pdf. Geraghty, L. 2010. Sustainability reporting - measure to manage, manage to change. Keeping Good Companies, No. 3. Pp 141-145. Horne, R., Grant, T. and Verghese, K. 2009. Life cycle assessment: principles practice and prospects. Collinwood, Victoria: CSIRO publisher Hsu, Chi-Chin. 2007. Method for manufacturing casings of composite hand dryers and the structure: Application number 11/331, 021. Retrieved on 1 October, 2012 from: http://www.google.com/patents?id=8qKAAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA2&source=gbs_selected_ pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. Hubbard, G. 2011. The quality of sustainability reports of large international companies: an analysis. International Journal of Management, Vol. 28, No. 3, part 2. Montalbo, T., Gregory, J. and Kirchain, R. 2011. Life Cycle Assessments of Hand Drying Systems. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Material Systems Labartory. Ortas, E. and Moneva, J. M. 2011. Origins and development of sustainability reporting: analysis of the Latin America context. GCG, Vol. 5. No. 2. ISSN: 1988-7116, pp: 16-37. Appendices Appendix 1: Principal Characteristics of the Body Dryer Source: Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.4 Appendix 2: Production Process of Body Dryer Source: Hsu, 2007, p.4 Appendix 3: System Boundary and Characteristics of Body Dryer Source: Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.5 Appendix 4: Raw Materials used in Production of a Body Dryer Source: Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.34 Appendix 5: Raw Materials used in Production of a Body Dryer Source: Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.34 Appendix 6: Contributors to the Material Production Stage and their Climate Change Score Source: Dettling and Margni, 2009, p.15 Read More