Product Lifecycle
In this project, I chose to investigate the product lifecycle of toilet paper. A product lifecycle is the steps a product goes through from the materials used to make it to the disposal of the product, which may lead to a continuation of the lifecycle if the product is reused or recycled. There are 5 stages of the product life cycle- Raise and Extract, Process, Manufacture, Use, and Disposal.
Time line
Raise and Extract
Paper companies maintain large forests of the trees they use. Toilet paper is made from 70% hardwood trees and 30% softwood trees. Hardwood trees commonly used are Gum, Maple, and Oak trees. Commonly used softwood trees are Southern Pines and Douglas Firs. These trees must be cut down and moved to the paper mill. Toilet paper can also be made out of recycled materials, however the use of new trees is more common.
Process
During the refining process, the trees are carefully debarked to leave as much wood as possible. Then the logs are chipped to a uniform size of 1in x 1/4in. These small pieces make it easier to pulp the wood.
Manufacture
After the refining process, 50 tons of wood chips are mixed with 10,000 gallons of cooking chemicals. This mixture is then cooked in a massive pressure cooker for around 3 hours. This results with 15 tons of "pulp", which is a usable fiber. Next the cooking chemicals are removed and the pulp is bleached, most commonly with chlorine dioxide. Then the pulp is mixed with water to create paper stock, which is dried and wound onto jumbo reels. The paper is then wound onto long cardboard tubes, which are cut into rolls, and then packaged.
Use
Toilet paper is used for bathroom hygiene, nose care, removing makeup, wiping up spills, and bathroom cleaning chores. It is estimated that a single toilet paper roll lasts only 5 days.
Dispose
Toilet paper is normally disposed in two different ways. It is either thrown away or flushed down toilets. Toilet paper is designed to decompose into small pieces when left in water. These small pieces will go through sewage pipes and treatment. The process of manufacturing toilet paper also creates byproducts that get disposed of. The bark removed from the tree trunks is burned to fuel the paper mills, along with "black liquor", the fluid taken out of the pulp after cooking. Around 95% of cooking chemicals are able to be reused. However, not all chemicals are reused. The use of chlorine bleaching in the manufacturing process produces dioxins, which are byproducts with environmental hazards.
Creative Recycling and Reuse
Toilet paper its self is often disposed of, and not recycled. However, toilet paper tubes are recycled, used in crafts, or reused to serve another purpose. Some examples are seed starters, bird feeders, and decorations.
Sources
http://www.madehow.com
http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po (how toilet paper is made)
Images-
http://en.rocketnews24.com
http://www.instructables.com
http://www.thegreengirls.com
http://craftingagreenworld.com
http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po (how toilet paper is made)
Images-
http://en.rocketnews24.com
http://www.instructables.com
http://www.thegreengirls.com
http://craftingagreenworld.com
Conclusion
a. What is meant by product lifecycle?
b. Why is it important for companies who make products to research and determine a product’s potential lifecycle? c. What would you change about your product? Why? d. Do you think your product will evolve or become obsolete over time? Why? e. What is a trade-off? f. Do you think that trade-offs were made during the design phase of your product? g. Why is it important to recycle? h. How do product designers play a role in recycling? i. What role does society play in the recycling effort? j. What can you do to help? |
a. A product lifecycle is the steps a product takes to be made, used, and disposed of, which is a "lifecycle" of sorts.
b. It is important for companies to determine a product's potential lifecycle because every product has an impact on the environment and society, and each company should try to make sure that the product does the least damage to the environment as possible, and that the product's lifecycle and use is worth the effort and energy put into it. c. I would make the product more environmentally friendly and somehow lengthen it's use stage in the product lifecycle. Toilet paper is not the most environmentally friendly and has many byproducts and waste. Toilet paper is estimated to last only 5 days, which in my opinion, creates a very unbalanced lifecycle, where lots of energy goes into it, but its use is not proportional to the energy put in. d. I think that toilet paper will definitely evolve, if not become obsolete over time. Eventually advancements will be made where toilet paper becomes more environmentally friendly, or a new, more efficient product takes its place. It is important to note that new changes are already being made. Several toilet paper manufacturers have gotten rid of the toilet paper roll in an effort to cut down on consumer waste. e. A trade-off is the change one thing brings another change along with it. f. I think trade-offs were definately made during the design process of toilet paper. While some companies chose to make toilet paper out of new trees that is comfortable, but not environmentally friendly, others use recycled materials, with the trade-off comfort. g. It is important to recycle because it expands the lifecycle of a product, by creating less waste and transferring the disposal of a product into the materials used in another product. This impacts the environment in a positive way. h. Product designers can use recyclable materials when creating products, or make products out of recycled materials. i. Society plays an important role by encouraging recycling and making the public aware of their impact on the environment and how recycling can help. j. I can do many things to help. Obviously, first and foremost, I can recycle. I can also encourage others to recycle and explain the benefits of recycling. As a future engineer, I can keep in mind the ways I can help the environment, or at least not cause any damage the the environment, when I design a new product. |