Good to know
Ecological factors
In the past few months, we have been confronted with many unfounded statements and myths related to the ecological impact of the production process and decided to look deeper into the following topics. After having consulted proven research, we would like to share with you our findings on profound and scientifically based principles and documents to correct any misinformation out there.
Ecology
During our entire development period it was extremely important for us, to bring a system to the market which is not only absolutely tamper evident, secure and easy to handle, but also meets today’s demands on the environment and ecology.
The following two aspects were and are extremely important:
1 Reduce to the Max! Get rid of what is not needed and only produces waste.
2 Have a focus on the whole life cycle of the product and consider the ecological and carbon footprint, keeping it as low as possible.
What is really needed for a secure kit?
The athlete wants to provide his/her sample in a clean and secure kit. It is important that the supplier of the kits provides this. With the LOCKCON Klic-System, we can confirm this 100%. By using the smart designed cardboard packaging, the kit is securely sealed and does not need any additional outer plastic wrapping. Did you know that these wrappings are more commonly used to keep single components together instead of providing a security aspect? None of the conventional wrappings were ever meant for a hermetic closure and therefore they do not provide increased security protection.
Sustainability at Lockcon
We started with the material
The statement that fossil raw materials are only used in the production of plastic is misleading. Especially the production of glass in particular requires enormous amounts of energy in addition to fossil resources, which are not infinitely available.
Production
The production of plastics is lower in emissions than the production of glass, because the production temperatures are much lower. We speak of approximately 300°C for the production of plastics, and approximately 1000°C and more for glass. This corresponds to an energy requirement that is more than three times as high!
The Klic systems are manufactured in plastic injection moulding plants, which are located within a radius of less than 50km. This drastically reduces CO2 emissions, as the transport distances are short and fast. All companies are ISO 14025 certified and work with the most modern machines, which need many times less power and energy than conventional production methods.
The weight of the product itself plays a decisive role in the consumption of manufacturing energy. The Klic100 is one third lighter than the standard system available on the market and is therefore produced two thirds more environmentally friendly.
Transport
CO2 emissions from transport are to be taken very seriously. They are influenced by weight, volume and distance.
The biggest influence on transport emissions is weight. Due to the fact that the Klic100 in a set weighs only 145 grams compared to the 400 grams of conventional systems, CO2 emissions are drastically reduced in addition to the costs for transport.
Waste Management
Since the waste is medical waste, it should be disposed in a clean and environmentally friendly manner. This is important so that the anti-doping products do not end up in conventional landfills.
For the controlled disposal of the containers, glass requires a temperature of approximately 1500°C and plastic between 300°C and 400°C. After complete incineration, there is no residual material left over from the plastic, whereas slag always remains with glass. This means that even when the containers are disposed of, a reduction in energy consumption of up to 80% is achieved.
In many waste incinerations plants, energy is recovered by burning waste to generate heat or electricity.
The time required for the natural decomposition of glass is over one million years, for plastics it is around 300 years.
In addition, the material used for the Klic100 does not produce any microplastics, as it is a hard plastic. (Microplastics mainly get into nature through the wear and tear of car tires and through washing of synthetic fiber textiles).
Conclusion
It can be argued that over the entire life cycle, the CO2 emissions and ecological footprint for a disposable product such as doping control containers (around 100 ml capacity) are many times lower and smaller for plastic than for glass.
Furthermore, the WEIGHT factor should not only be considered in relation to the lower Co2 emissions. The Klic100 is unbeatable in this further very important point:
1 Testing Authorities have a cost saving of 30% – 50% depending on the destination and quantity for transport and postage costs.
2 Laboratories pay for the disposal of the kits according to weight and can thus save about 60% of the costs.
As your business partner in providing a comprehensive doping container solution, it is important for us not only to be well informed and up to date on these subjects but also share with you our efforts in meeting today’s demands on the environment and ecology. Should you have any questions about our production processes and procedures or choice of materials, we would be happy to share this with you in more detail upon your request.
Source disclosures:
1 Glass or Plastic: An Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and related Economic Impact of Contrast Media Packaging. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b619/6fea52b7182446fd5f8922ec1853a9a57277.pdf
2 Case Study: Life cycle assessment of two baby food packaging alternatives: glass jars vs. plastic pots. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-008-0052-6
3 Comparative life cycle assessment of beverages packages in Palestine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616305443?via%3Dihub
4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-glass-jars-arent-necessarily-better-for-the-environment-than-plasticones/2014/06/23/2deecfd8-f56f-11e3-a606-946fd632f9f1_story.html