Carbon Footprint journal (4)

For the past few weeks I have not changed a lot more my habits than what I did at the beginning of the experience. I keep eating less meat and more fresh vegetables and fruits. Most of the time I travel by train when I do a long distance journey through France.

Best practice

Ecodoo hand-washing liquid can be considered as one of the top best practices in terms of hand-washing liquids because it is made from natural raw material only.But the packaging remains in plastic...
So for those who want to get and make a hand-washing liquid 100% natural here is the formula:
- sodium biocarbonate : 2 spoons 
- black paste soap : 3 spoons
- washing soda : 3 spoons - 1 liter of boiling water 
- 1 salad bowl
Poor in a salad bowl the sodium biocarbonate, the black paste soap and the washing soda.
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Poor the boiling water on top of it.

Mix the paste to get a smooth paste.

Keep the paste at room temperature for 2 hours.

your home made hand-washing liquid is ready to be used. It is 100% natural. It does not lather but clean as much as any hand-washing liquids bought at the grocery store.

Life cycle assessment (2)

Using the EIO LCA tool, we can take further the analysis of the life cycle assessment of the choosen product. Indeed, the EIO LCA tool calculate the impact of our product on the biosphere and the atmosphere. Below is the chart for the PAIC Citron or at least for a product that belongs to the sector of polish and other sanitation good manufacturing. We can see that the PAIC Citron does not have a significant effect on the atmosphere but does on the biosphere. It has the worth effects on woods and fishes.

This due to the fact that the PAIC Citron like other hand-washing cleaning liquids goes into the waste water. And most waste waters do not go through a sewage treatment plant but goes directly into the rivers. 

This is why the chemicals that are contained into the PAIC Citron have to be as ecofriendly as possible to make the least impacts on the environment.
The packaging of the PAIC Citron which is a plastic bottle could also be more ecofriendly. For example, the plastic that makes the packaging shoud be entirely recycled from an other plastic product.

Life cycle assessment - PAIC Citron

The goal of the life cycle assessment is to evaluate what stages of the life cycle of the product is the most polluting. Then from these observations, it is easier to take measures to make the impact of the product on the environment lower.


Below is the general description of a life cycle of a product:

I chose to analyze the life cycle of  the PAIC citron, so below you'll find the specificities of the life cycle of the PAIC Citron:

Extraction of raw material:
- Energy
- Perfume

Design and production:
- Energy
- Preservatives
- Sodium C14-17 Alkyl Sec Sulfonate
- Sodium C12-13 Pareth Sulfate

Packaging and distribution:
- Plastic ( bottle )
- Energy
- Paper
- Ink

Use and maintenance:
- Water

Reuse and recycling:
Only the packaging can be recycled:
- Plastic bottle
- Paper

Carbon Footprint Journal (3)

My carbon footprint for the past two weeks was higher than usually because I traveled by car for a long distance. I went home twice. I took the car from Grenoble to Nantes, because it was the cheapest way to go home. But I traveled with 4 other friends so that we only took one car. When I was home I took my car several times to see my friends and family. There is not a lot of public transportation around where my parents live. Because of these travels my habits have changed a little bit in the past few weeks and so my carbon footprint has been higher. Nevertheless, I kept eating more fruit and vegetables and watch for what I bought when shopping at the grocery store.

Carbon Footprint Journal (2)

Last week I decided to eat less meat to make my carbon footprint drop. So I did. For the past week, I only ate three times meat. I also did my shopping on the market last Sunday and bought fresh vegetables and fruits. I realised that it cost me less money than buying at the grocery store.
I also bought some low-energy light bulbs for my bedroom.

Product follow-up: PAIC Citron

PAIC Citron is a hand washing-up liquid that is sold by Colgate-Palmolive.

The main constituents are these listed below:

C14-C17 Alkyl Sec. Sulfonate
Sodium Laureth-Sulfate
Lauryl Amidopropyl Dimethyl Amine
Myristyl Amidopropyl Dimethyl Amine oxide

Perfume
Preservatives

The company assures that all the chemical agents are biodegrable and it has been tested so.

The sulfate can be dangerous for humans and animals if it is swallowed in an important quantity. It is also a corrosive chemical.
I did not find more information on the preservatives that are in the liquid , although the danger they may represent is different from one another.

The challenge for the company is to produce a hand washing-up liquid from vegetal basis. They also have to work on making it the least corrosive as possible.
They can alos work on the packaging of the product to make it more environment friendly.