Life Cycle Analysis of a Toothpaste Tube

It is incredible to think about the significance of a tube of toothpaste and its impact on the environment. For a product so simple, completing a life cycle impact analysis (LCA) is quite complex. The act of brushing your teeth is something that nearly everyone does: it is both socially and hygienically expected of you to do. It also requires you to use a certain amount of water. Most accessible toothpaste varieties include many chemicals, and some even contain micro-beads, which can’t always be filtered out of the water supply.  Producing and transporting this toothpaste also uses significant amounts of resources and releases pollutants. To effectively create a LCA for Aquafresh fluoride toothpaste, we would need to evaluate the life cycle from extraction, production, transportation, use and last disposal of a single tube of toothpaste. 

The ingredients used in toothpaste are mostly chemicals, and although I’m sure their life cycle is harmful, these materials were not listed in Okala’s LCA bill of materials chart. So for this product analysis, I will focus on the packaging tube itself, which also contains many chemicals. There are multiple layers of polyethylene used for its sealing properties, and opalescent polyethylene is used for a flexible base material and white color. Vapor deposited PET is included for rigidity, ability to maintain shape and moisture barrier properties (AICELLO, pg.1). Polyethylene itself is created by modifying natural gas or the catalytic cracking of crude oil into gasoline (LePoutre, pg.1). This is not a good beginning to this tube’s lifecycle. Suppliers for Aquafresh are located all throughout Europe (and I'm sure other continents as well), and the toothpaste is sold all over the world, leaving an immense transportation impact. On top of all that, it is not recyclable.

Product: A Toothpaste Tube

System boundary: Analysis of the tube alone, not the toothpaste inside of it or use of the toothpaste.

Functional unit: One tube, approximately 2 ounces in weight.

Lifespan: Approximately four months

SBOM:

Total tube weight = 2 oz. = 0.125 lbs

Composition:

PET, amorphous, primary = 1.8/lb * 0.06 = .108

Aluminum, primary = 13/lb * 0.05= .65

EVA, primary= 1.3/lb * 0.01= .013

Sealing tape= 0.18/lb *0.005= .0009

White pigment=2.8/lb*0.06=.168

Processing:

Injection molding= 0.72/lb*.725=.522

Aluminum milling= 9.9/lb*0.05=.495

Transportation:

Intercontinental air freight= 1.6/ton-mi*.125= 0.2

Disposal:

Polyethylenes in controlled landfill 0.3/lb*(.06+.01) =0.021

Total: 2.1779 LCA impact factor points

This may not seem like a large impact number, but remember this is only a 2 oz. piece of packaging. There is room for improvement in the use of recycled products, mode of transport, and extension of product life through design for disassembly and recyclability.

New design with reduced impact:

Using recycled polyethylene products would make improvements in the life cycle analysis of a tube of toothpaste. However, I’m not sure that this would make the product actually recyclable. I think that the “tube” design of toothpaste may need to be eliminated altogether. If a glass container with a recyclable or reusable dispenser, designed in a shape where the toothpaste would be funneled to the dispenser so not to be wasted, the product could be recyclable and eliminate the many plastics and processes included in the toothpaste tube. If possible, it could even be sold in a box with a free shipping label so that it could be returned for free and reused by the manufacturer. A glass jar keeps the toothpaste preserved and contained naturally, and does not need the plastics and chemicals included traditionally. 

Product: Glass toothpaste container with recyclable dispenser

Functional unit: One container, about one pound in weight.

Lifespan: About 4 months, but recyclable or reusable at end of its life.

SBOM:

Composition:

Bottled Glass, sec (clear recycled glass) =.38/lb*0.95 =0.361

HDPE, secondary (recycled hard plastic that is recyclable by some) = 1.2/lb*0.05= 0.06

Aluminum, secondary (metal spring in dispenser)= 0.55*0.0001=0.00055

Processing:

Injection molding = 0.72/lb*0.05 = 0.036

Transportation:

Ocean freighter= 0.053/ton-mi *1 = 0.053

Disposal:

Glass = recyclable

Polyethylene (HDPE) 0.3/lb*0.05= 0.015

New Total: 0.525055 =~0.525 LCA impact factor points

Works Cited:

AICELLO. "What is polyethylene laminating film (sealant laminating film)?." Suzulon L: Sealant Laminating Film. AICELLO, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. <http://www.suzulon-l.com/PE_laminating_film.html>.

LePoutre, Priscilla. "The Manufacture of Polyethylene." Transpak Industries Ltd., n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. <http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/polymers/10J.pdf>.