Design Life-Cycle

 Joyce Lee

DES40A

Professor Cogdell

6 June 2024

Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment: Raw Materials

Introduction

The Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment was launched in June of 2022, Hailey Rhode Bieber’s personal cosmetic brand. Although there are different scented lip tints that Hailey Bieber released, the most popular and original product is the unscented Lip Peptide Treatment that caught the public’s eye from the start. The purpose of this paper is to touch upon all the stages of the life cycle that relate to the product itself, but to emphasize the raw materials that play a role in the production process and the sustainability of the overall process. The Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment utilizes sustainable packaging, comprising post-consumer recycled materials, displaying an intentional approach of the production process. The product has a purposeful formulation of alcohol-free, fragrance-free, and emollient rich ingredients that exhibit a commitment to environmental conservation in the processes of cosmetic manufacturing. 

Raw Materials Acquisition

In the process of the Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment’s creation, the first and foremost step is the acquisition of its raw materials, of the formula itself, as well as its packaging. Some of the main key ingredients include antioxidants, specifically Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, and Tocopherol. Tocopheryl Acetate is used in cosmetics as a commonly used version of Vitamin E, although not as effective as pure Vitamin E. Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is an oil soluble form of Vitamin C. Another important ingredient is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1. This ingredient is used as a cell-communicating ingredient. It is a synthetic fatty acid linked peptide that allows for repairing of skin damage, as well as supports collagen and elastin production.  Tocopherol is extracted from vegetable oils, or seed oils. It is utilized as a fat-soluble antioxidant for the skin, also providing photoprotection against UVB rays. Lactic acid is also used as an exfoliant, usually derived from milk, but can also be extracted from sugar beet, or even synthetically created in a lab. Another main ingredient that goes into the formula is Shea Butter. Shea butter comes from the seeds of African Shea or Karite Trees, and is rich in antioxidants. Shea trees are predominantly grown in the savanna of the North African region.There are a multitude of specific, different ingredients that play an important role in the formula of the product itself. In terms of the packaging aspect, some of the main materials include PCR (Post-consumer recycled) plastic, LDPE #4 (low density polyethylene), and HDPE #2 (high-density polyethylene). LDPE #4 is very durable, yet flexible. LDPE and HDPE are both thermoplastics, but the key difference is that LDPE is more malleable and not as strong as HDPE. The acquisition of raw materials is not the only step, but rather the initial step when it comes to product manufacturing; it is the fundamental aspect in which the entire production process is based upon. 

Product Manufacturing

The process of the product’s manufacturing requires a lot of preparation, including the development of the formula, packaging selection, and filling and sealing. Hailey Rhode Bieber put in effort to research upon the necessary ingredients, materials and factors that went into her cosmetics, which she elaborates more on her YouTube video on the journey of creating Rhode. In the process of development for her formula, she researched upon different components and essentials that were necessary to produce her products. She connected with Hyram and his professional knowledge on skincare in order to better develop her products. In order to test out the products, the samples are sent to people to receive feedback. The design of the packaging was also deeply thought out, in the sense of cleanliness and attractiveness. The marketing team strives to continuously create different ways to utilize different aspects of the product and make it more interesting. One clear example of this is the Rhode phone case that can physically hold a lip product on the backside of the phone case. These Rhode products are shipped through Boox boxes that can be reused up to 12 times, with no bubble wrap or excess waste. In the process of manufacturing, it requires fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. In order to even acquire these plastics and chemicals, these energy sources must be utilized in factories. Petroleum based products are also widely used in the beauty industry.Through these meticulous steps and preparations, it is possible to produce high quality products through the processes of manufacturing, and strive to meet the expectations of customers. 

Transportation and Distribution

Once the Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment undergoes product manufacturing processes, they transition into the necessary steps of transportation and distribution in order to deliver the products to their destinations with efficiency and care. Lots of steps are required such as order processing and preparing for shipment. Transportation is loaded onto different vehicles depending on destination, either through trucks, ships, or airplanes. Distribution centers are often utilized in order to optimize the delivery process. The resources to power these distribution processes require many different sources such as solar power and fossil fuels. Transportation and distribution are significant in the processes of efficacy and longevity in  the consumers’ demands. 

Use, Reuse, Maintenance

The Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment is intended to be used as a cosmetic product onto the lips. There is no reuse or maintenance of the formula itself. The reusable aspects are the tubes itself, which can be shipped back to the company. They provide an option to return it, and they recycle the packaging for the customers. The Boox boxes are also reusable, created from eco-friendly and sustainable materials.

Recycling and Waste

From the diligent practices of use, reuse, and maintenance of what can be maintained, recycling and waste management processes ensure that the lifecycle of the Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment is not only sustained but also environmentally responsible from start to finish. Understanding PCR in the plastics industry and how the plastic used for its packaging is essential in the recycling process. Recycling and waste management requires usage of mechanical and chemical energy. Customers can ship back at least 3 empty products and Rhode Skincare will recycle them for you, certified cruelty free by Leaping Bunny and PETA. Rhode utilizes Boox boxes that are reusable up to 12 times, allowing the packaging to be more sustainable and mindful of the environmental impacts. However, waste is still inevitably produced, as it is difficult to 100% recycle every aspect of the packaging. The company uses machinery and human labor in order to break down and dispose of what cannot be recycled. And usually, the waste disposal ends up in landfills. This step concludes the end of the Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment’s life cycle. 

Conclusion

The materials and processes that go behind in acquiring all these necessary aspects in the production process is very complex and involves many various factors. The amount of components and substances that play a role in the production also vary. Although many cosmetic brands, including this one, attempt to stay eco-friendly, there is no production process that is 100 percent environmentally efficient, but there are continuous efforts to strive towards the most possible sustainable outcomes.  

Bibliography

Adamu, H.M., Nansel, E., Ushie, O.A. “Antimicrobial Activity of Oil from Butyrospermum parkii Seed (Shea Butter)”. Florida. Modern Scientific Press Company, 2013.https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/91924606/ViewArticle-libre.pdf?1664817108=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DAntimicrobial_Activity_of_Oil_from_Butyr.pdf&Expires 

Fitzgerald, R. and Vleggaar, D. (2011), Facial volume restoration of the aging face with poly-l-lactic acid. Dermatologic Therapy, 24: 2-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-8019.2010.01375.x

Glew, D., & Lovett, P. N. (2014). Life cycle analysis of shea butter use in cosmetics: From parklands to product, low carbon opportunities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 68, 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.12.085 Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment Ingredients (Explained). (2024). Personal Care Product Council. https://incidecoder.com/products/rhode-peptide-lip-treatment. Accessed 2 May 2024.

“Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Expands Into Makeup.” Beauty Packaging, https://www.beautypackaging.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2023-09-22/hailey-biebers-rhode-expands-into-makeup/. Accessed 3 May 2024.

“Hydrogenated Polyisobutene.” Cosmetics Info, https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/hydrogenated-polyisobutene/. Accessed 2 May 2024.

Nguyen, Mimi. “The Rhode Ahead to a Cleaner Environment with Recyclable Packaging.” The Rhode Ahead to a Cleaner Environment with Recyclable Packaging, www.dtcpatterns.com/dtc-patterns-articles/the-rhode-ahead-to-a-cleaner-environment-with-recyclable-packaging. Accessed 3 May 2024. 

Rangarajan, Meera and Zatz Joel L. “Effect of formulation on the delivery and metabolism of a-tocopheryl acetate”. Schering Plough Research Institute, Kenilworth, NJ. April 15, 2001. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=6a79280881a20632aee740a96fcc621168d02fd5

Resende, D. I., Ferreira, M. S., Sousa-Lobo, J. M., Sousa, E., & Almeida, I. F. (2021). Usage of synthetic peptides in cosmetics for sensitive skin. Pharmaceuticals, 14(8), 702. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14080702 

Thangaraju, S., Pulivarthi, M.K., Natarajan, V. (2020). Waste from Oil-Seed Industry: A Sustainable Approach. In: Thakur, M., Modi, V.K., Khedkar, R., Singh, K. (eds) Sustainable Food Waste Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8967-6_10\

What is PCR packaging?. Richmond Containers. (n.d.). https://www.richmondcontainers.com/b/what-is-pcr-packaging#:~:text=PCR%20means%20Post%2DConsumer%20Recycled,used%20to%20make%20new%20packaging. 

Manumi Tuguldur

DES 40A

Prof. Cristina Cogdell

May 27, 2024

Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment: Embodied Energy

           Rhode Skin is a skincare brand founded by Haylie Rhode Baldwin Bieber. Their peptide Lip Treatment went viral as the next big lip product from a celebrity brand, so my group felt we should do this product for our research project. Rhode Skin is marketed as a clean brand with a minimal footprint, so it is implied that their use of energy would be clean and conscious. However, most of the manufacturing process requires the same toxic and non-renewable energy sources that plague the earth and are pushing us further into a climate disaster. No matter how conscious the brand is, most of the manufacturing processes use energy and energy sources that are harmful to the environment. 

Raw Materials

           Acquisition of the raw materials requires more clean energy than the rest of the life cycle steps. The first raw material that is used for the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment is shea butter. They are harvested by hand which requires human energy then they are processed in a factory by a machine called screw press which uses mechanical energy to function powered by human energy. The next ingredient used in this process is Vitamin C scientifically known as Tocopherol Acetate. This is a synthetic Vitamin C that is made through the process of a chemical reaction between acetic acid and tocopherol. Tocopheryl Acetate can be extracted from natural sources like soybean oil or olive oil or it can be synthetically made. Getting Tocopheryl Acetate from natural sources uses thermal energy and mechanical energy. Soybeans are heated and then pressed to release the oil. Most of the natural raw materials in this product come from oils and seeds so the extraction process and energy used are the same. The packaging is made with “upcycled post-consumer materials”. This way of packaging is more expensive since this product has already been recycled and then sorted and reused. Sorting the plastics for recycling uses human energy and the machine that processes the PCR (post-consumer materials) uses electrical energy. All the machinery used in the factory to sort any of the raw materials uses electrical energy.

Manufacturing, Processing, and Formulation

           Rhode Skin prides itself on a clean and sustainable brand, so its formulas are very clean. Every piece of packaging is made from either recycled or easily recyclable materials. There isn’t much information about the product's manufacturing process. It is said that they are very environmentally conscious about the consequences of manufacturing using harmful machinery or harmful chemicals. Processing the packaging and the actual lip product uses electrical energy and machines powered by natural gasses or fossil fuels. 

Distribution and Transportation

           Rhode’s main shipment carrier is DHL and Rhode ships from their warehouse in Los Angeles. They ship to all 50 states and the US territories, Canada, the United Kingdom, and a few countries in Europe. For shipments that require a plane to be used, the minimal footprint aspect of the company is voided because flights are one of the biggest factors in the climate disaster we’re in right now since they are fueled by fossil fuels. However, DHL started deploying fully electric delivery trucks in 2021 which has a significantly smaller carbon footprint than gas cars since they use electrical energy rather than fossil fuels. The distribution uses human energy as well because the delivery workers are the ones

Use, Re-Use and Maintenance

           The use of Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment requires kinetic energy as it is applied by hand to spread the product over one's lips. Thermal energy is used in this step as well because there was a lot of backlash about how the Rhode Lip Treatment became clumpy as time went on. So the brand released a phone case that can store the lip treatment on the back of your phone and fans to this day believe that this is to melt the clumpy ingredient in the treatment using the heat from the consumer's phone.

Recycle

           Rhode offers to recycle their shipping packages for their customers. The Rhode website mentions that the packaging is made from completely recyclable plastic and they only use a box to ship the product as they don’t want to create any extra waste by using tissue paper or packing peanuts. This process would require human energy, fossil fuel, electrical energy, and thermal energy. Customers ship the product back to Rhode so the company can recycle the packaging for the consumers. The shipping process uses fossil fuels or electrical energy depending on what kind of car the shipping company uses. Electrical energy is used for the machines that sort the leftover packaging from used products. Thermal energy can be used to repurpose and shape the packaging into another form for another product. Human energy in this step is used when the workers have to sort through the recycle packages that are being sent to the Rhode recycling facility. The machinery in the factory for recycling also uses natural gasses as an energy source.

Waste Management 

           Rhode says that its products are easily recyclable. However, the product residue left over on the packaging makes it non-reusable. So to deliver these product wastes to the landfill, trucks and motor vehicles that use fossil fuels are used. This process also uses human energy as workers sort the waste for a more accurate process of waste management. The boxes that they use to ship to customers can be reused 12 times and are made and processed in a “zero-waste” environment if the product container is still reusable then Rhode will recycle and reuse them for future products or it will be used as recycled plastic for other companies.  The waste management process uses human energy, kinetic energy, and fossil fuels.

Conclusion      

           Rhode Skin is a clean brand that uses recycled and clean natural materials and ingredients to create its products. They use PCR to create their tubes and caps for the lip treatments and their shipment boxes aren't filled with unnecessary space filler like packing peanuts or packing paper. However, the ingredients and materials and the energy sources used to process, create, and recycle this product aren’t very clean. The primary source of energy for transportation is fossil fuels which have a huge carbon emission. The machines in the factories are fueled by natural gasses which are also harmful to the environment. New clean and environmentally friendly brands have found their way to create and use less harmful materials and ingredients but the fuels and energy sources we currently use are still as harmful as ever and will continue to push our society and planet into an even bigger climate change crisis.

Bibliography

About Tocopherol Acetate - Tom’s of Maine, www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/tocopherol-acetate. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“Brand Breakdown: Is Rhode Skin a Clean Beauty Brand?” OhDaisey, Oh Daisey, 21 Feb. 2024, ohdaisey.com/brand-breakdown-is-rhode-skin-a-clean-beauty-brand/#:~:text=Sustainability,at%20least%203%20empty%20products.

Chitrakorn, Kati. “Hailey Bieber’s Beauty Brand Rhode Plots Global Expansion.” Vogue Business, 22 Mar. 2023, www.voguebusiness.com/beauty/hailey-bieber-beauty-brand-rhode-plots-global-expansion#:~:text=The%20Los%20Angeles%2Dbased%20beauty,one%2Dmillion%20across%20its%20products.

“DHL Express Deploys Nearly 100 New Electric Delivery Vans in U.S.” DHL, www.dhl.com/us-en/home/press/press-archive/2021/dhl-express-deploys-nearly-100-new-electric-delivery-vans-in-us.html. Accessed 5 June 2024.

Harish. “Complete Turnkey Shea Butter Processing Plant Manufacturer - Goyum.” Oil Expeller, 23 Nov. 2023, www.oilexpeller.com/shea-butter-extraction-plant/#:~:text=Shea%20Butter%20Extraction%20Using%20Mechanical,series%20of%20Screw%20Presses%20%2F%20Expellers.

“The Making of Rhode.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 July 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8YRBgzw07g.

“Peptide Lip Treatment Unscented.” Rhode, www.rhodeskin.com/products/peptide-lip-treatment. Accessed 5 June 2024.

“Screw Press.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_press#:~:text=A%20screw%20press%20is%20a,downward%20movement%20of%20greater%20force.

“Tocopheryl Acetate.” Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant): Cosmetic Ingredient INCI, cosmetics.specialchem.com/inci-ingredients/tocopheryl-acetate#:~:text=Origin,modified%20to%20produce%20Tocopheryl%20Acetate. Accessed 5 June 2024.

“Understanding PCR.” APC Packaging, 22 Sept. 2021, apcpackaging.com/understanding-pcr/. 

Deepa Bhat

Professor Cogdell 

DES 40A

June 5, 2024

Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment: Waste and Emissions

Rhode is a skincare and cosmetics company started by Hailey Rhode Beiber. A popular product by Rhode is the Peptide Lip Treatment, a “restorative lip treatment” for dry and damaged lips as described on the website. Rhode states that it prioritizes sustainability and minimal footprint, however an analysis of the life cycle of the Peptide Lip Treatment shows that there is significant waste and emissions produced from the six stages of raw material acquisition, manufacturing, processing, and formulation, distribution and transportation, use, reuse, and maintenance, recycling, and waste management.

The main raw materials used in the Peptide Lip Treatment include Shea Butter, Peptides, Babassu, and Cupauçu. The materials used in the packaging are PCR plastic, and FSC-certified paper. Shea butter, which is produced from the shea nut, creates significant amounts of lignocellulosic, or biomass waste. In order to prepare shea nuts for the process of shea butter manufacturing, shea nuts must be de-shelled and washed. This produces a significant amount of water waste and waste from the actual nut. A large part of the carbon emissions that result from shea butter production come from the coproducts of the shea nut husk and kernel residue that must be disposed of. By finding alternate functions for these byproducts, the carbon emissions can be reduced by almost thirty percent. (Glew et al., 2014) Babassu also produces similar waste, as it is harvested from the Babassu nut. It must also be husked, and the oil is extracted from the kernels. 93 percent of the Babassu nut goes to waste in the acquisition process, and there are about 930 kilograms of residue waste for every ton of Babassu nuts. (de Paula Protásio et al., 2014) Cupauçu is harvested from a fruit similar to the cacao fruit. The process of acquisition produces waste from the outer skin of the fruit. The waste can be minimized in the local communities by using it for organic fertilizer, chemical agents, and even for making handicraft items. (Komesu et al., 2023) There is another option of reducing waste by using lignocellulosic residue for eco-friendly biofuels. However, even with this option available, there is still unavoidable waste that arises from this method. Biofuels can produce sulfur and nitrogen emissions, and these are also converted into toxic oxides which can lead to an increased risk of acid rain and soil acidification. (de Paula Protásio et al., 2014) The paper from the packaging is stated to be fsc-certified. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, and ensures that the forests that the paper is harvested from are low-waste and environmentally responsible. This means that there is less deforestation and waste produced from paper production. 

Waste further arises from the next step of the life cycle of the Peptide Lip Treatment. In the manufacturing and processing stage, waste arises from the formulation of peptides, shea butter, and babassu. During this stage of shea butter processing, the nuts go through crushing and milling, and roasting processes in order to refine the nuts into shea butter. The nuts are crushed and milled using electricity and hydropower. The nuts are roasted on open-hearth wood stoves which burn firewood in order to power the stove. This accounts for almost 75 percent of all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from the shea butter life cycle, and alternate ways of roasting the nuts would greatly reduce the environmental impact. It is estimated that there is about 10.374 kilograms of carbon dioxide released for every kilogram of shea butter in a finished cosmetic product. (Glew et al., 2014) The wood for the stoves is acquired from deforestation and degradation. Global deforestation accounts for 60 percent of net carbon emissions while degradation accounts for about 40 percent.  Forests are huge carbon sinks and reducing current deforestation rates can reduce global carbon emissions by almost ten percent. (Houghton, 2012) Babassu production also requires electricity for processing the nut kernels. Approximately 308.780 kilowatts per month of electricity are consumed to do this. (Teixeira, 2005) Electricity production largely relies on fossil fuels which results in significant greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the environment. This includes climate change, water eutrophication, toxicity for human, animal, and plant life due to chemicals, ionizing radiation, and depletion of a non-renewable energy source. 27 percent of the global impacts from climate change result from electricity usage. Electricity generation is the second largest emitter of carbon pollution. (Laurent et al., 2015) Peptide production results in hazardous waste. Peptides for cosmetic products are commonly produced using Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis. This process includes growing peptide chains that are attached to resin microbeads, and this requires large amounts of toxic organic solvent washes. These washes make up approximately 80 percent of the processing waste and contribute to a sustainability issue. There are also microplastic spheres that are a waste product of purification of the resins used in SPPS, and these are disposed of in waters, which can increase water toxicity. The waste produced from Peptide manufacturing can have explosive properties and can cause potential liver problems if exposed to humans. (Kelesoglu, 2020)

After the raw materials are acquired and processed, they need to be transported to come together to make the product, and they must be distributed amongst the buyers. Shea Butter is produced in Africa (Glew et al., 2014), Babassu comes from Brazil (Komesu et al., 2023), and Cupauçu also comes from Brazil. (de Paula Protásio et al., 2014) These products are transported through trucks for domestic travel, and then ships for international travel. Distribution of the Lip Treatment for buyers is done through airplanes and trucks. Maritime transportation produces wastewaters, oil waste, solid waste (which includes food waste and human excrement), and hazardous waste. Cargo ships generate about 0.67 kilograms of food waste per person per day. They disposed of about 1.15 nautical miles cubed of food waste into the ocean in a time period of ninety days. Maritime transportation can also increase eutrophication and acidification. (Vaneeckhaute et al., 2020) Ships also rely on fossil fuels and contribute to three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. (YCC Team, 2021) Air distribution through planes and land distribution through trucks also requires fossil fuel energy and produces significant waste. Air transportation accounts for two percent of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and is predicted to increase to three percent by 2050. Air cargo also accounts for thirty three percent of all trade related emissions. Freight transportation overall accounts for a 4.16 percent increase in carbon emissions from 1995 to 2000. (Anser et al., 2020)

After the production and distribution of the Peptide Lip Treatment, a small amount of waste is produced when being used. The treatment is not a reusable product, as once it is applied to the lips, it cannot be put back in the container or saved for another use. Much of the product gets absorbed into the lips or wiped away. There could be some product residue left in the container which would be wasted after the consumer disposes of it. Larger amounts of residue lead to larger amounts of environmental impact, including ozone depletion and smog. (Rathore et al., 2023) The box that Rhode uses for packaging is said to be reusable. Rhode utilizes Boox Boxes, which are produced with FSC-certified paper and are a part of a zero-waste loop. Boox Boxes can be reused up to ten times as claimed on both the Rhode and Boox Box website and are recycled afterwards. However, to reuse or recycle a Boox Box, consumers must drop the packaging off at a designated center. There is no guarantee that the consumer will go through the process of doing this and traveling to the Boox Box reuse center by car will produce greenhouse gas emissions. If a consumer does not follow these steps, the Boox Box would end up being disposed of in a landfill.

The last steps of the life cycle include disposal, whether that be recycling or landfill, and waste management. About seventy percent of the plastic waste produced in the cosmetics industry is not fit to be recycled. It is important for cosmetic companies to emphasize minimal waste in order to reduce global pollution footprint. As stated earlier, Rhode packaging is made up of PCR plastic, or post-consumer recycled plastic which essentially means it is recycled plastic. PCR has helped to reduce the environmental burden of plastic by 29%. (Park et al., 2023) While this is more sustainable for the environment and produces less waste compared to classic plastic, PCR plastic loses quality with each recycling cycle. It is also difficult for recyclers to continuously recycle PCR in a zero-waste cycle due to the various added materials. Much of PCR still ends up in landfills. (Muzata et al., 2024) Furthermore, recyclables must be clean and free of excess residue in order to be received by most recycling facilities and cleaning the product can produce water waste. This process also relies on consumers to properly recycle the product according to recycling guidelines. Only about thirty-two percent of Americans recycle. (USEPA) Even if the consumer does choose to recycle, transportation of the waste to any waste management facility, usually done through trucks, further produces greenhouse gas emissions. If the consumer chooses not to recycle, the waste will be sent to landfills. Landfills are a major source of pollution, including water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, and natural environment degradation. The total amount of greenhouse gasses in the life of a landfill can be about 1.37E0.9 kilograms of carbon dioxide. Landfills also produce leachates, or contaminated liquids, that drain off into the soil and nearby sewage systems. These liquids can be hazardous and are significant pollutants that arise from landfills. Some landfills incinerate the waste, and landfills frequently catch fire, both of which cause toxins to release into the atmosphere. Smoke from these fires typically contains hazardous gasses and carcinogenic substances. Landfills remain a significant factor in global pollution and environmental damage. (Vaverková, 2019)

The Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, despite Rhode’s mission statement to reduce waste, produces significant amounts of waste and emissions in many forms which can severely impact the environment and human health. While Rhode may do a better job at waste management and sustainability compared to many other cosmetic companies, it is impossible to avoid the waste that comes from the six stages of the life cycle. Transportation, which occurs in nearly every stage, accounts for a significant amount of waste. The responsibility of reducing the impact of waste falls on both the consumer and manufacturer. Consumer responsibility includes disposing of products properly and being aware of purchases made and the waste produced. In a post-industrial world focused on consumerism, educating the public about environmental damage and waste byproducts is important for preserving our planet’s future.

References

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de Paula Protásio, T., Fernando Trugilho, P., da Silva César, A. A., Napoli, A., Alves de Melo, I. C., & Gomes da Silva, M. (2014). Babassu nut residues: potential for bioenergy use in the North and Northeast of Brazil. SpringerPlus, 3, 124. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-3-124 

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Houghton, R. A. (2012). Carbon emissions and the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Tropics. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4(6), 597–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.06.006 

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Komesu, A., Oliveira, J., Moreira, D. K., Neto, J. M., Penteado, E. D., & Martins, L. H. (2023). Case study 3: Fruit and vegetable waste valorization in north and Northeast regions of Brazil. Fruit and Vegetable Waste Utilization and Sustainability, 269–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91743-8.00006-x 

Laurent, A., & Espinosa, N. (2015). Environmental impacts of electricity generation at global, regional and National Scales in 1980–2011: What can we learn for future energy planning? Energy & Environmental Science, 8(3), 689–701. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ee03832k 

Muzata, T. S., Matuana, L. M., & Rabnawaz, M. (2024). Challenges in the mechanical recycling and upcycling of Mixed Postconsumer Recovered Plastics (PCR): A Review. Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 8, 100407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crgsc.2024.100407 

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Teixeira, M. A. (2005). Heat and power demands in babassu palm oil extraction industry in Brazil. Energy Conversion and Management, 46(13–14), 2068–2074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2004.10.014 

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