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Norgesplaster is a factory in
Norway (look at the map) which produces sticking plasters, sports-tapes and
other products to the Medical Device Industry.
We visited the factory to find out more about
sticking plasters's life cycle. We have studied a regular sticking plaster for
private use, made of plastic, not textile. The pictures of the other
sticking plaster do only show examples of other kinds of sticking plasters
that Norgesplaster makes. These have different life cycles.
Norgesplaster buys polyethylene from Germany, glue
from the Netherlands and wound dressings made of synthetic fibber.
Polyethylene is made of oil. Obtaining oil leads to
pollution.
Wound
dressings are the white little thing on the sticking plaster that is in
contact with the wound. Wound dressings consists of synthetic fibres, but
has a smooth surface to ensure that the fibres will not remain in the
wound. The wound dressing are covered with bacterium killing liquid.
We haven’t
studied the production of the glue and the wound dressings. We also haven’t
looked at the energy use in the production or transport.
The items
that the factory buys are transported with ships and trucks through Europe.
The factory
doesn't have much discharge of substances that are harmful to the
environment, and the discharges are not higher than what the government in
Norway allows.
The glue is
mixed with very large of amount petrol, the petrol evaporate later in the
production. Until
today (2002) the petrolgas has been retrieved to liquid petrol, 80-85% of
the gas was retrieved. Now Norgesplaster is installing a new system, which
will burn the petrol and make use of the heat. This will reduce the consume
of oil and electricity, but the discharge of CO2 will increase.
The
production causes some litter, plastic, which is cut off the sticking
plasters to give the plasteres their shape. This litter is about 4-5% of
the production. The litter can not be recycled, but has to be thrown away
on Støleheia, the local waste disposal site.
Norgesplaster
sends their products with trucks to merchants 80-90% of the factory's
production is sold in Norway. The merchants bring the sticking plasters to
the shops and to chemists with trucks/cars.
The sticking
plasters do not pollute when they are used, but they can not be recycled.
They end up on different waste disposal sites, but also often in sewage
works. Polyethylene is biodegradable, but it takes very much time.
The sticking
plasters are CE marked; this is an international environment mark. The
production at Norgesplaster is also certified according to the ISO
standards. Almost all buyers require that a factory is ISO certified when
they are going to buy the products the factory is making.
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