Tom’s of Maine
Life Cycle Assessment of
Toothpaste Tube Materials
Conducted By: Sealed Air SmartLife®
Sustainability Solutions
Project Objective
• The evaluation of the greenhouse gas
emissions of two different toothpaste
tube options
– Aluminum structure
– PBL Laminate structure
Project Use • This Life Cycle Assessment is prepared for the benefit
of and use by Tom’s of Maine and any use of this Life
Cycle Assessment or findings related thereto by any
party other than Tom’s of Maine or Sealed Air
Corporation is prohibited.
• Any use of the SEALED AIR trade name, SMARTLIFE
trademark (or any other trademark owned by Sealed
Air Corporation) without the specific written consent
of Sealed Air Corporation is strictly prohibited.
Project Scope – Toothpaste Tube Study
This study is a cradle to grave LCA including raw materials (aluminum and
plastics) transport, tube production phases, tube printing, secondary
packaging production, distribution to Regional Distribution Centre and
Dentist, and final disposal of the packaging (tubes and carton boxes).
This study also includes the recycling of aluminum and plastic materials
during the manufacturing phases (closed loop recycling).
This study does not include toothpaste production and its use phase
The LCA study was performed in line with the principles of the ISO
standards 14040–14044 and critically reviewed by a third party.
Results are were derived from publicly available sources as well as
Tom’s of Maine products information.
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation Boundaries
•
One (1) Aluminum tube contains 147.4 g of toothpaste, one (1) PBL laminate tube contains
133g of toothpaste, the amount of materials included into the LCA have been calculated
according the defined functional unit.
•
The Functional Unit is the packaging needed to pack, protect and deliver 100g of toothpaste
useful for brushing.
•
This study does not include into its boundaries the toothpaste, for this reason the loss
during the filling phase will not be taken into account. However, the fact that the two tubes
deliver a different amount of toothpaste is an important point to be considered.
•
The secondary packaging (unit carton cases and master box) is the same for the two
options.
•
The toothpaste production is not included here: its weight is taken into account for the
determination of the transport contribution of the finished products from Tom’s of Maine
production site to the regional Distribution Centre and the Dentists. An average distance of
1500 miles was considered for this transportation.
•
Inventories, flowcharts and assumption are reported in the final attachments, were the
source of assumption are also indicated.
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation Boundaries
SYSTEM BOUNDARIES
Raw Materials transportation
at manufacturing plants
Production and printing of tubes
OUT OF BOUNDARIES
Raw materials
extraction and
production
Tube and packaging
materials
transportation
From Producers
to Tom’s of Maine
Toothpaste production
Tube filling:
Energy and
toothpaste
Production of caps, outsert threads,
unit cases and master boxes,
secondary wrapping films
Wasted
toothpaste
Assembly in carton unit
cases and master boxes.
Wrapping of Boxes
Capital equipment and
mantainance
Packaging (toothpaste
tube and carton boxes)
disposal
END OF LIFE
Truck transportation to
RDC and dentists.
Pallet packing and truck
transportation
TRANSPORT and ASSEMBLY
Toothpaste use
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation Boundaries
Slugs Production
The aluminum used for the production of slugs in the United States is typically made
up of a mixture of newly produced and recycled aluminum*.
Post consumer aluminum recycling in US in 2009 was 57.4% with almost 60 percent
of the aluminum recycled coming from new scrap*.
The resulting aluminum mix composition used for slugs production is reported in the
table below:
Aluminum, primary
42.6 %
Aluminum, secondary, from new scrap
(60%)
34.4 %
Aluminum, secondary, from old scrap (40%) 23.0 %
Aluminum recycling information was obtained by the U.S. Department of the Interior / U.S. Geological Survey and US
Aluminum Association. The standard US production mix was obtained through the Ecoinvent database that has been
adapted according this recycling percentage. .
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
•
Disposal
•
Closed loop recycling was used in most of the internal processes were pure materials can
be collected and reused in the same production phase (LLDPE, PP, Al).
•
For the after use phase, a disposal scenario was created according the information reported
in Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and
Figures for 2008, EPA. They report a recycling of 33.2% of the wasted materials. The
remaining part is land filled (81%) and incinerated (19%).
•
Two specific disposal scenarios have been created for master boxes containing aluminum
tubes and for those containing PBL tubes.
•
According to the US Aluminum Association the post consuming aluminum recycling in US in
2009 was 57.4%. However in the case of the toothpaste tubes, a special recycling channel
does not exist and the toothpaste tubes will follow the general waste scenario for US (81%
landfill and 19% incineration).
•
The disposal of the carton unit cases and corrugated master box follows the information
received by Tom’s of Maine: 55% of the unit cardboard cases and 100% of the corrugated
cardboard boxes are recycled.
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
The contributions of the single elements to the final impact of the functional unit are reported below:
Tube pack CFP /
100g toothpaste
Aluminum
Kg CO2 eq
PBL laminate
Kg CO2
eq
%
%
total
0.189
100
0.117
100
transport
0.0432
23
0.0418
36
disposal
0.0033
2
0.0050
4
carton case
0.0273
14
0.0294
25
tube
0.104
55
0.0284
24
secondary packaging (master
box, bundling film)
0.01187
6
0.0125
11
The partial contribution of the aluminum tube to the master box carbon footprint is 55%, while the
PBL tube contributes for 24% to the total CFP of the old tube.
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Chart
secondary packaging
CFP index % / 100g toothpaste
tube
100
carton case
10
disposal
90
transport
80
CFP index %
70
55
60
7
50
15
40
30
2
20
10
15
14
3
23
22
Old tube
New tube
0
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
The aluminum tube has a carbon footprint 3.7 times higher than the PBL tube. Adding the
contribution of the other secondary packaging (unit cases, master box, wrapping film) and
including the transport and the final disposal phase, this ratio is lowered to 1.6 times.
Despite the long distance, the impact of transport of the PBL laminate from Mumbay to
Virginia by ocean freighter is very low (0.95%, not indicated in the previous table).
Considering 1 functional unit (a pack necessary to protect and deliver 100g of
useful toothpaste), the switch from aluminum to plastic laminate lowers the
carbon footprint of 38%.
CFP index % / 100g toothpaste
Old tube
total
New tube
New tube, no
case
100
62
42
toothpaste
packaging
71
33
16
distribution
29
29
26
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
Greenhouse Gas Emission Index Chart
Carbon footprint index (%) for toothpaste tube production and distribution:
100
distribution
90
29
toothpaste
packaging
80
CFP index %
70
60
50
29
40
71
30
26
20
33
10
16
0
Old tube
New tube
New tube, no case
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
GHG Emission Index Table
Basing on the recommended use of 2g per brushing, the results can be
expressed as something more meaningful in consumers’ daily lives,
considering one brushing:
CFP index % per
brushing
gCO2eq per brushing
Old tube
New tube
Total
3.794
2.342
transport
0.864
disposal
Old tube
New tube
total
100
62
0.8356
transport
36
22
0.066
0.1004
disposal
4
3
carton case
0.546
0.588
carton case
25
15
tube
2.08
0.568
tube
24
15
0.2374
0.25
secondary
packaging
11
7
secondary packaging
Note: the unit used here is gCO2 eq, instead of KgCO2 eq
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
GHG Emission Index Chart
Electricity Use for 1 Toothpaste Tube Production
Electricity for 1 tube production
0.04
0.035
KWh
0.03
0.025
0.037
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.0128
0.005
0
Aluminum tube
PBL tube
Project – Toothpaste Tube Evaluation
Questions regarding the Toothpaste Tube Study
results of should be directed to Toms of Maine
(insert contact info)
For information on how Sealed Air
SmartLife® Sustainability Solutions can help
your company; Please call 800-982-6197
Or visit Sealed Air at www.sealedair.com