Design Life-Cycle

Alexander Thiers

Brittany Saleeby

DES 40A

4 June 2024

Raw materials used to make Funko Pops 

Across the globe, collectable enthusiasts have been captivated by the charm and variety of Funko Pops. These little vinyl figures have become icons of pop culture, loved by collectors of all ages. Often overlooked, however, is their environmental impact throughout their life-cycle. Throughout my research, I have found Funko Pops to be very unsustainable products. Looking at the materials used throughout their production and life cycle, I was surprised to find that nearly everything that is added to a Funko Pop throughout its life is Petroleum based to some degree. That being said, there actually aren’t that many secondary materials used in the actual production and distribution of the figures since it’s only PVC, HPE, acrylic paint, and Cardboard (As well as  Diesel and Bunker fuel used for transportation). In this paper, I will go in depth about these secondary materials, the primary raw materials they are made of and attempt to make the case that Funko Pops are sourced from unsustainable materials and continue to require unsustainable materials through their lifespan and eventual disposal/recycling. 

As with most action figures, there is relatively little variety in the raw materials used during the production of the Funko Pops themselves, consisting mostly of PVC. Following the line of Funko’s production, I found that the process begins with PVC being injection molded. The primary materials used in PVC aren’t sustainably produced. According to lenntech.com, PVC requires only two primary ingredients; ethylene, which is soured from natural gasses or petroleum  and sodium chloride, which in the process is found in seawater (lenntech.com). So we begin by extracting the Crude oil from the ground, shipping it to the factory, and mixing it with electrified seawater, which becomes chlorine (Kent, POLYVINYL CHLORIDE). When they heat up the Chlorine and ethylene together and place the combination under extreme pressure it results in an element known as ethylene dichloride, which is converted at very high temperatures to vinyl chloride monomer (Lenntech). This process of gathering ethylene stems from the process of gathering crude oil, which requires extracting it from the earth through methods that are very unsustainable due to the limited and depleting amount of Crude oil on Earth. Therefore, Funko’s use of PVC is unsustainable as they are using it at a rate far greater than that of it being replenished .

Next in the manufacturing process is painting on the details. Since Funko has not published what mixture they use to paint their figures I had to make an educated approximation.  I have found many sources indicating that fixing your Funko pop with faded paint or when making your customized Funko Pop; Acrylic paint is the type to use saying that other paint types, “[...] may not dry properly”(Leigh, blogspot.com). Now if we go with the assumption that the ‘real’ Funko pops are painted using acrylic-based paint, there is a handy life cycle assessment on design lifecycle that tells us everything we need to know regarding acrylic paint. So from there I found that at the base of acrylic paint is made from a combination that includes acrylic acid, ammonium hydroxide and propylene glycol; all of which can be traced to being sourced from crude oil (Yasay, Acrylic paint). This doesn’t look good for the sustainability of Funko Pops, since they are once again using Crude oil; which, like I mentioned before, is an unsustainable resource. Nevertheless, Let’s carry on. 

Another thing that we have to consider when analyzing the lifecycle of a product are the materials used in the Transport and distribution of the final product. There are a variety of materials that come into play during this process. First and foremost, before the Funko figures can be shipped they must be packaged in their respective boxes that you see at the store, these boxes are made of a material known as “Litho-Laminated Cardboard” which is comprised of three layers of wood-based materials, and the top coat is comprised of Solid Bleached Sulfate which requires virgin fibers, and two layers of recycled cardboard in between (CORTI, Litho-Laminating Process). The boxes also include a clear, plastic ‘window’ of sorts so you can see the character in the box. And while Funko doesn't publicly disclose the exact plastic used in their packaging windows, there are strong indications it's likely PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). PET is commonly used as a clear plastic due to its clarity, rigidity and ability to be molded easily, all of which are desirable qualities for Funko’s clear ‘window’. So for the purposes of this analysis I'm going to assume that the replacement windows are made of PET, and if we do, I can tell you that the main component of that is once again, ethylene (NAPCOR, “What Is Pet?”), bringing us back to the raw Material of Crude Oil. Lastly, when it comes to actually shipping the products, the boats and trucks that transport the Figures to the customers are powered by Heavy Fuel Oil and Diesel respectively (The 5 most relevant marine fuel types)(Engine Technology Forum). So in summary, the transportation process of Funko Pops includes wood which is semi-renewable, (Cutting down trees faster than they grow back), recycled cardboard (sustainable), and a lot of Crude Oil.

The next step in the lifecycle of the Funko pop is its reuse and maintenance after the customer already bought it. And while reselling used or vintage Funko pops is very common the amount of actual material invested into the maintenance process is minuscule relative to the sheer amount of raw material used in the factory production operation. New materials added during this step consist mostly of Acrylic Paint and HDPE protectors, along with the occasional application of Gorilla glue. The gorilla glue, I will be overlooking simply because it is only used in the rare case of a broken Funko Pop that is still valuable enough to invest in fixing it after it breaks therefore I will not count for it being a part of the maintenance. The Acrylic Paint touch-ups and HDPE box protectors, on the other hand, are a lot more commonly used for upkeep. I found Acrylic paint to be very commonly used for touch ups within the  Funko pop community(Leigh, Customizing tips). And as mentioned earlier, I made the assumption that Acrylic is also used during the manufacturing process as it seems to be the only mass produced paint type that is able to stick to the PVC long term. As mentioned in another design life cycle project conveniently about acrylic paints, commercially available Acrylics are composed of, "[...] several derivatives of the ultimate raw material: petroleum"  (Yasay, Acrylic paint). So now we have more use of petroleum, an unsustainable material during the life cycle of these figures. But that isn't all, another thing that collectors use to extend the 'shelf life' of their Figures is by buying clear, UV-resistant box-covers to put over their boxes and protect their figures from yellowing (A negative side effect of using PVC). These boxes are typically made from PET (Amazon.com), another type of plastic with its own set of environmental issues. That however is in terms of emissions, which isn’t what I'm here to discuss. I’m the materials guy and since the two base materials for PET are Ethylene Glycol (MEG) and Terephthalic Acid (PTA). And are both crude oil and natural gas based synthetic materials, the change in plastic doesn’t mean much since the raw material is essentially the same (NAPCOR, What is pet?).

One way to limit waste material is through recycling, and, in theory, PVC is recyclable for up to 600 years, and as a result there should be very little waste materials left behind after the initial production (GOSNELL Can PVC be recycled? A foolproof guide to PVC recycling). However, this is not the case, for many people don't actually spend the time to recycle their plastic, in fact only about 0.25% of consumer PVC plastic ever gets to the recycling facility. And the portion that actually gets turned into used material is even less than that since some PVC additives make the PVC material only able to be downcycled (Sherburne, U-M team recycles previously unrecyclable plastic). This means that not only is the PVC very rarely actually recycled; but when it is recycled, more additives are added to the PVC that make it less recyclable for next time. I tried to find information about what specific additives are used in the Funko Pop PVC to try and figure out how recyclable it was, unfortunately to no avail. I can only assume that they probably don’t use flame retardants or UV protections (Seeing as they yellow over time) but beyond that I have no idea what additives are used. It’s not like they post it on their website. Nevertheless, I also borrowed two books from the J. Shields Library on Campus to attempt to find out the source of additives that could be in the Funko Figures. But I guess “Handbook for the chemical Analysis of plastic and polymer additives” doesn’t go into detail about what specific additives are used, the raw materials or where they are sourced from. And the same unfortunately goes for the book, “Degradation and Stabilization of PVC”. So unfortunately, all that I can say about added materials during the recycling process is that ‘additives are added’. Which I know isn’t really saying anything.

Overall, the main thing I take away from this research is that when it comes to raw materials of Funko Pops there really only is one base raw material that stands out and that is Crude oil. When I started this project I was expecting there to be a lot of Crude oil used in the production of Funko Pops, but I wasn’t expecting it to be all Crude Oil and a tiny bit of wood for the cardboard boxes they are sold in. Anyways, this almost complete reliance on Crude oil by the industry is incredibly unsustainable. With the limited and depleting amount of Crude oil we have in the world, we simply can’t keep buying these products that are essentially just pieces of heavily processed crude oil delivered by crude oil, used for a few years and thrown away. This will inevitably lead to not only a sudden loss of crude oil in the world, but also contribute to the negative effects of Climate Change through carbon emissions. 

ny.com/blog/petroleum-product-week-funko-pop-vinyl/ 

Beckham, Gregg. Nicholson, Scott. Rorrer, Nicholas. Carpenter, Alberta. 

“Manufacturing energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastics consumption.” Celpress, Joul, 1 May 2024, https://www.cell.com/joule/pdf/S2542-4351(20)30626-7.pdf 

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GOSNELL, JUSTIN. “Can PVC Be Recycled? A Foolproof Guide to PVC Recycling:” CleanRiver, cleanriver.com/resource/blog-can-pvc-be-recycled/. Accessed 6 June 2024. 

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Baheti, Payal.

“How Is Plastic Made? A Simple Step-By-Step Explanation.” British Plastics Federation, 3 May 2024, https://www.bpf.co.uk/plastipedia/how-is-plastic-made.aspx 

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"ethylene". Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 May. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/science/ethylene. Accessed 4 June 2024.

John.

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“Ship energy consumption analysis and carbon emission exploitation via spatial-temporal maritime data.” Elsvier, 3 May 2024, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261924002691 

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Funko

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“A petrochemical product.” ECVM, 24 May 2024,  https://pvc.org/about-pvc/petrochemical-product/

Elastomer, Kent 

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https://www.kentelastomer.com/polyvinyl-chloride-what-it-is-how-its-made/ 

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CORTI, Emilio. “Litho-Laminating Process.” BOBST, www.bobst.com/usen/products/litho-laminating/process/. Accessed 5 June 2024. 

Leigh, Richard. “Customizing Tips.” TheFunkustomizer Files: Confessions of a Funko Pop Customizer and His Customs, Blogger, 2015, thefunkustomizer.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_17.html. 

Yasay, Tris. “Acrylic Paint - Design Life.” Design Life Cycle, Squarespace, 2 Dec. 2021, www.designlife-cycle.com/acrylic-paint 

(I couldn’t find an author for this source) “What Is Pet?” NAPCOR, 2 Dec. 2022, napcor.com/about-pet/. 

Amazon.Com: Clear Plastic Protector Case for 2-Pack-Funko-Pop Figures, Protector Case Compatible with Funko Pop 2-Pack Figures Boxes- 5 Pack : Sports & Outdoors, www.amazon.com/Plastic-Protector-2-Pack-Funko-Pop-Figures-Compatible/dp/B0CFZXXD12. Accessed 6 June 2024. 

Mathew Van Allen

Professor Cogdell

DES 40A

June 6 2024

Embodied Energy of Funko Pops

Funko Pops are a popular collectible that, despite being a simple plastic figurine, are associated with a high embodied energy that’s reflective of the high energy consumption culture of today. Funko Pops consume energy over the course of their life cycle starting with the acquisition of raw materials and manufacturing, shipping costs throughout their life, and finally reaching their end in landfills like many other consumer goods. Much of the embodied energy in the life cycle of Funko Pops can be optimized to be more sustainable, particularly in the early manufacturing stages, however, the energy consumed in the transportation of the product is overwhelmingly unsustainable.

Funko Pops are made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), a plastic that is a secondary raw material originating from fossil fuels. Oil drilling is the most common way to acquire the fossil fuels to make plastic with offshore drilling rigs being powered by diesel engines that transform the chemical energy within the diesel fuel to mechanical energy able to operate the rigs. The diesel engines use between 20-45 m3 of diesel a day which roughly translates to 200,000-450,000 kWh used a day to extract crude oil from the earth (“Drilling Rigs”). Although most of the oil extracted is not used in the production of Funko Pops specifically, PVC is the 3rd most produced plastic in the world with nearly 40 million tons being produced every year (Jones). The acquisition of oil is an energy intensive process that is only the first step in the first stage of the life cycle of a Funko Pop

Once the oil has been extracted from the earth, it must be transformed into Polyvinyl Chloride to begin the manufacturing of the Funko Pop. PVC consumes on average 223.4 kWh of energy during production compared to some of the other common plastics like Polypropylene and Polyethylene that consume 191 and 211 kWh an hour respectively (Alsabri). This number is not including the embodied energy in the chemicals like chlorine, ethylene, and plasticizers like phthalates used in the production process (“PVC and Phthalates”). The newly produced secondary raw materials are then transported to production factories to begin the manufacturing stage.

Funko Pops are made from injection molding, which is a process relatively diverse in its energy use. Injection molding is a process by which plastic materials are melted and fed into a motorized screw system that effectively serves as a piston injecting the melted plastic into an expanding mold. During this process there are 4 primary factors that contribute to the energy consumption: heating, actuating system, packing and holding, and plastication . The heating process takes electrical energy that is converted into thermal energy to melt the plastic and maintain precise temperatures for the screw and the mold throughout injection. The actuating system includes all moving parts of the injection molding process powered by an electric motor that transforms electrical energy into mechanical. During the packing and holding phase of the process, high pressures are maintained on the material in the mold to prevent shrinkage while cooling, which utilizes a form of mechanical energy. Plastication is the decompression of the material after the packing and holding phase and similarly uses

mechanical energy. These factors: heating (17%), actuating system (11%), pack and holding (12%) and plastication (48%) account for 88% of the total energy consumed during the injection molding process (Nguyen). Specific energy consumption of injection molding is dependent on the size, shape, and material of the object being molded but on average the process utilizes approximately 300 kWh of energy (Nguyen). Even so, with numerous factors contributing to the energy consumption of the process, there are many areas for improvement to optimize energy use, while the same cannot be said of the energy consumed during the transportation stage.

Funko Pops are transported across the world throughout their lifecycle, between all stages of production, on their way to the consumer, and finally returning to the Earth in landfills. The transportation is done primarily by two means: cargo ships by sea and shipping trucks over land. In the case of cargo ships, the first major voyage is the transportation of raw oil drilled in Russia, Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the world’s largest crude oil exporters, being imported by China, the world’s largest producer of PVC (Troderman). For all three oil exporters, the path to China is several thousand miles by sea aboard high consumption vessels using chemical energy from diesel. The second major voyage by sea comes after the Funko Pops are fully produced and is the transpacific route from Southeast Asia to the United States, their primary market. A round trip from Southeast Asia across the Pacific Ocean utilizes 1.72 GWh of energy aboard commercial container ships (Yeh). While the travel of these ships is not solely for the purpose of Funko Pops, the energy consumed is degrees above all previous stages in the collectible’s life cycle and points to a larger issue regarding the transportation of cheap commercial goods. Similarly, Funko Pops undergo substantial transportation over land by diesel shipping trucks.

In their life cycle, Funko Pops build up countless miles of overland travel. Overland travel accounts for: transportation of crude oil from mines to refineries, from refineries to ports, ports to processing plants, processing plants to manufacturing facilities, manufacturing facilities back to ports, ports to distribution centers, and distribution centers to commercial stores. The energy consumption of the diesel shipping trucks used cannot be accurately quantified as it is dependent on a variety of factors like engine design, speed, and weight yet, it is estimated that in the United States 28% of energy consumption is used for transportation related activities (Wang). Funko Pops spend the majority of their life being transported in some form from some place to another hence it is reflective that transportation accounts for the majority of Funko pop’s energy consumption.

While in use by the consumer Funko Pops do not consume energy, leaving the last of its embodied energy in the recycling and waste management practices used once they've been disposed of. First and foremost, Funko Pops ideally find their end in recycling plants to reduce the embodied energy of future PVC products and recuperate some energy in the process. The two methods for recycling PVC are mechanical and feedstock recycling. Mechanical recycling is breaking down a product by physical means only and in the case of PVC can save 90% of the energy to produce virgin materials. Although it is efficient, the PVC of Funko Pops is more than likely not recycled by these means because of additives in the material and poor sorting methods once disposed of by the consumer. If recycled, it is most likely done by feedstock recycling

where the PVC, along with other materials, undergoes gasification, which produces some electrical energy (Lewandowski). This event is a similar, but more efficient process than what is done at landfills where Funko Pops more than likely end up.

Owing to poor recycling sorting and poor recycling awareness, the end of Funko pop’s life cycle is in landfills and incinerators. Landfills and incinerators produce energy in the same manner as feedstock recycling but because the materials are mixed, the overall efficiency is significantly worse. Furthermore they also require more energy to operate than recycling plants. Of the energy required to maintain operations at landfills and incinerators, 80.2% is related to transportation of waste to the site and transportation of waste within the site (Nabavi-Pelesaraei).

Overall Funko Pops are not individually high energy products, but their cumulative embodied energy proves to be unsustainable, specifically in their transportation at every stage of their life cycle

Works Cited

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power system in a large container ship considering Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI).” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 46, no. 62, Sept. 2021, pp. 31816–31827,

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Van Allen 7

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chloride) (PVC) recycling.” Polymers, vol. 14, no. 15, 27 July 2022, p. 3035, https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153035.

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environmental life cycle assessment for incineration and landfill systems of municipal solid waste management - a case study in Tehran metropolis of Iran.” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 148, Apr. 2017, pp. 427–440, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.172.

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Van Allen 8

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Xinyi Yue

DES 40A

05.16.2024

Waste

Superheroes from DC or Marvel have drawn huge attention all around the world. Not only has the film industry taken advantage of this opportunity to develop rapidly, but the toy industry also seized it. One toy company has stood out—Funko Pop. This toy, with elegant details and exquisite colors that replicate movie characters, has become popular worldwide. Some people display them in their homes as decorations; others keep them as collectibles, and some buy and sell them to make a profit. However, the waste generated behind the scenes has not entered the buyer’s mind. By conducting a product life-cycle analysis—a method that examines each stage of the products from raw materials to being recycled or disposed of—it is not hard to discover that even though technological advancements and corporate decisions have effectively reduced the waste generated during production, considering the production process of raw material PVC, the production methods, pollution from transportation, and subsequent processing, it is clear that this product still results in significant energy consumption and waste. The generated waste remains substantial and cannot be ignored.

Starting from its "birth," not only does the final product, Funko Pop, caused a significant waste of resources, but the PVC, an essential component of Funko Pops, and the manufacturing process of PVC also cause severe chemical and ecological damage to the environment. Currently, there are two fundamental components used to produce PVC: ethylene and chlorine. However, in

order to obtain these substances, people have caused severe pollution and waste worldwide. Ethylene is mostly generated from naphtha, known as petroleum crude, and ethane, known as natural gas. Even before the production of ethylene, most of the crude oil was transported from the Middle East, where it is sent as first-hand crude oil to the seaport through pipelines, followed by shipping in tankers to each country. According to the example provided in the article: US, the estimated distance for this transportation system is 8000 km(Ghanta 7), and it may be closer or even further for other countries, representing more energy being consumed and waste produced during the transportation. There are three major processing stages to achieve ethylene: refinery, atmospheric distillation to obtain naphtha, and steam cracking. On the other hand, if the material is ethane, it undergoes a similar process, including natural gas purification, natural gas processing, and steam cracking. No matter what materials the factories use, they all involve a huge amount of electricity and water usage. According to the articles, the author estimates, "The fuel and power requirements for the steam cracking step are 20.1 and 0.3 GJ/tonne of ethylene, respectively." (Ghanta 7) Not only is there a huge waste of electricity, but material waste is also even more serious. It shows that in the atmospheric distillation of crude oil, only 30% of the crude oil will be converted into ethylene. (Ghanta 7) Not only does it require significant amounts of input, but the substances it releases are also astonishing. Every step of the process produces emissions, wastewater, and other air-level or ground-level chemicals. Through calculations, the researchers have reported that "the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions for the steam cracking of naphtha and ethane amount to 1135 and 840 kg CO2/tonne of ethylene." (Ghanta 7)In addition, huge amounts of metals, such as copper, zinc, nonmetals, and organic chemicals emitted into the air and ground, cause severe ecotoxicity.

As time passes, technology continues to rapidly develop. There are many methods to create

PVC artwork, such as 3D printing. Such technologies, along with energy control, can significantly reduce environmental impact and waste. However, they come with long-term costs and high expenses. To reduce the cost of Funko Pops and optimize production speed, factories have opted to use injection molding instead of the latest high-precision 3D printing technologies. Although this method cuts costs, it results in greater resource waste and increased environmental pollution. Injection molding involves five stages: clamping, injection, cooling, ejection, and restarting the clamping process. After the mold is made, it is subjected to hydraulic pressure and temperatures of 200-300 degrees Celsius, using friction and heat, so the injected plastic forms into the desired shape. During production, workers utilize various resources to aid the machines, including significant amounts of water, lubricating oil, and chemicals. According to assessments, researchers have scrutinized the operation of using one kilogram of plastic. The consumption of water and electricity is concerning. Although the required electricity can vary from 0.5 kWh/kg to 2.096 kWh/kg,( Elduque 4) these values are still considered a substantial waste of resources. Water usage is also an unavoidable part of the process. According to the Ecolnvent Dataset, for every kg of plastic, factories require 0.0000167 kg of lubricants and 0.011 cubic meters of water for cooling. ,(Elduque 4) The consumption of natural resources alone does not encompass the full impact. The environmental effects also warrant significant attention. According to Ecolnvent V3.01 results, researchers have conducted in-depth studies into each impact category. They found that injection molding causes abiotic depletion of 1.428E-06 kg Sb eq, significant depletion of fossil fuels (18.87 MJ), and contributes to global warming by 1.094 kg CO2 eq. ,( Elduque 4) While these data may vary, in factories with fewer restrictions or strict regulations, these values will only significantly increase. When one thousand or one hundred thousand Funko pops are produced, the resources used, and waste produced are all self

explanatory.

In order to reduce the cost of Funko Pops, the company has chosen to produce them in places with low labor costs, such as China. As a result, transportation also becomes a significant contributor to waste. Most of Funko Pop's factories were built either in China or Vietnam. However, most of the company’s stores and attention are in East Western countries like Europe and the US. In addition, on the Funko Pop website, it is clearly stated that they do not ship internationally, meaning that most of the products are shipped to the US or Europe. As a result, long-distance transportation is inevitable. There are three common routes that connect China and the US: the Pacific route, Indian Ocean route, and Atlantic routes. Most of these routes take an average of 38 days, and the average sea mileage fluctuates from 13,020 to 19,213 nautical miles. (topshipping 12)There are a few concerning chemicals that are produced during the transportation system, or more specifically, during any combustion process. However, carbon dioxide has drawn huge attention due to its impact on global warming. According to research, tests among four different types of ships have shown that the average CO2 emissions for one month range from 8,000 to 24,000 tons.( Chen 2) Although Funko Pops are unlikely to take up much of a ship’s capacity, and will not use an entire ship for transportation, it is precisely because of this feature that the product will be shipped multiple times. By summing up the total carbon releases, its impact is far beyond people’s expectations.

Lastly, Funko Pop itself is the biggest waste of resources. Even though Funko Pop has implemented a recycling process for their products, a large number of items are still not properly handled. Discarding and 'natural decomposition' have become the final destinations for many of these products. In other words, the entire product line has become a significant source of waste.

Funko's president, Andrew Perlmutter, has said, “Funko is committed to contributing to a healthier planet, and the company is proud to partner with How2Recycle to educate fans on how to properly recycle our product packaging.” How2Recycle is not only a label but also a company that promotes the recycling of unused materials, in this case, Funko Pop. Due to the company's decision, the label has been placed on each box, reminding people to save natural resources or minimize waste. However, according to 2021 data, “Of the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated in the US, only 5% to 6%—or about two million tons—was recycled.” (Wakefield 13)Although these facts focus on the US, similar situations occur in Funko Pop factories. After all, it is just an entertainment product of the times. Funko Pop can quickly draw people’s attention but also quickly bore them. When new replacements appear, the first choice for customers will be to throw them in the trash. Whether they are 1 inch tall or 18 inches tall, Funko Pops, or more specifically the plastic they are made from, will be buried underground waiting for natural decomposition. Not only from the customer's side, but according to the news, Funko factories have overestimated market demand. Once people no longer find the items attractive, the demand for Funko Pop has dropped by 25% as expected. Kotaku reported that an estimated $30 million worth of Funko Pops will be buried under the soil, considering each Funko Pop costs around $8 to $11. (Futurism 11) However, this issue is not about the money; it is more about all the plastic that will be thrown away, the environmental impact on the earth, and the time it will take for those plastics to decompose.

All in all, after considering the waste generated from manufacturing PVC, injection molding, transportation, and the after- life of the Funko Pop, it is obvious to conclude that Funko Pop generate significant number of wastes causing unchangeable impact to the earth.

Works Cited

1) “A Review of Large-Scale CO2 Shipping and Marine Emissions Management for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage.” Applied Energy, vol. 287, 1 Apr. 2021, p. 116510, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261921000684,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116510.

2) Chen, Xinqiang, et al. “Ship Energy Consumption Analysis and Carbon Emission Exploitation via Spatial-Temporal Maritime Data.” Applied Energy, vol. 360, 1 Apr. 2024, pp. 122886–122886, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.122886. Accessed 14 May 2024.

3) “Do You Ship Internationally?” Do You Ship Internationally?, Funk Brands Support Center, support.funko.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047736033-Do-you-ship-internationally. Accessed 4 June 2024.

4) Elduque, Ana, et al. “Environmental Impact Analysis of the Injection Molding Process: Analysis of the Processing of High-Density Polyethylene Parts.” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 108, Dec. 2015, pp. 80–89,

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652615010501,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.119. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funko#:~:text=The%20completed%20figures%20are%20manufac tured. Accessed 5 June 2024.

6) “Funko Joins How2Recycle.” Funko Joins How2Recycle, Funko, 16 Nov. 2021, investor.funko.com/news-and-events/press-releases/Press-Releases/2021/Funko-Joins

How2Recycle/default.aspx. Accessed 4 June 2024.

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2013, pp. 167–179, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13203-013-0029-7. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020. 8) How Tall Are Funko Pops? The Tall of All Products Funko Pops. 4 Aug. 2023, mindstips.com/how-tall-are-funko-pops/. Accessed 5 June 2024.

9) “The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Injection Molding.” Mold7.com, 12 Nov. 2023, mold7.com/the-complete-beginners-guide-to-understanding-injection molding.

10) The Complete Guide to Injection Molding and How It Transforms Manufacturing – Plastic Mold Company. www.plasticmoldcompany.com/injection-molding manufacturing-guide/.

11) “They’re Dumping $30 Million of Funko Pops Directly into a Landfill.” Futurism, futurism.com/the-byte/dumping-30-million-funko-pops-landfill.

12) topshipping. “What Is the Shipping Route from China to the US? |.” Top Shipping Company, 28 May 2022, topshipping.co/articles/what-is-the-shipping-route-from-china to-the-us/. Accessed 5 June 2024.

13) Wakefield, Faith. “Top 25 Recycling Facts and Statistics for 2022.” World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum, 22 June 2022,

www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/recycling-global-statistics-facts-plastic-paper/.