Design Life-Cycle

assess.design.(don't)consume

Kyhara J. Crespin

Brent Park, Roberto Reyes

DES 40A

Professor Cogdell

Life Cycle of Swimming Goggles: Materials

Summer is that time of the year when people look forward to activities that can keep them refreshed, the most popular activity involving water. Swimming goggles are essential to making those water activities possible by protecting people’s eyes and ensuring sharp vision underwater. This product is most popular among people of all ages, whether for a competitive swimmer, someone who swims as a hobby, or someone who is just learning to swim. Swimming goggles are necessary. However, no matter their popularity, people do not stop to think about how these daily used products are made. Few, if any, think about how swimming goggles are produced, what type of materials go into making them, or how those materials may impact the environment. This paper dives into the environmental life cycle of swimming goggles, known as the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Where the product of the swimming goggles will be investigated to acknowledge the environmental impacts through the six stages, this paper specifically will be focused on the raw materials part of the swimming goggles’ LCA.

Before splashing directly on the production of swimming goggles, it would be reasonable to explain why this paper is worth reading or why people should care about the Life Cycle Assessment in the first place. Items that people use in their everyday lives impact the environment, but the majority do not notice these harmful effects. Yet, they are not to blame since they are not aware of the production process of these items. The LCA is meant to help with that, by going through the distinct stages of a product and pointing out the materials, energy, and waste for each step throughout the process. In this way, the LCA can inform a person about a product so they can analyze the harmful effects better as they now understand the process of it all. Aside from just people in society being aware of a product’s LCA to make better decisions, many other people such as designers and businesses use a LCA to critically think about a similar product they may want to create and introduce to society. The hard truth is that the inability to be aware of the impacts on the environment from everyday items can only cause extended harm to the earth where the world will no longer be sufficient for people and future generations to live comfortably, so LCAs are essential to deeply understanding the materials, energy, and waste of a product as a first great step into taking care of the earth.

As mentioned earlier, swimming goggles are an everyday product, especially in the summer season as it is predicted for the market to increase from 5422.2 million in 2021 to 6490.96 by 2031 (“Swimming Goggles Market Size - Forecast to 2031”). Starting with the first stage of an LCA, raw material acquisition, swimming goggles are made up of secondary materials such as polycarbonate which is a thermoplastic, silicone, and rubber ("What Are Swim Goggles Made Of?”). These three materials are considered secondary materials because they have gone through processes and were not extracted directly from the earth compared to primary raw materials. Polycarbonate is known as a thermoplastic which means it is easily moldable in elevated temperatures but solidifies as it is in a cool temperature. It is produced from the reaction of phosgene with bisphenol-A, where phosgene is a colorless and toxic gas that is made from reacting chlorine with carbon monoxide and bisphenol-A, a colorless chemical compound, created from the reaction of phenol and acetone (Boustead 5). Silicone is a synthetic polymer meaning it is made of large molecules (macromolecules) linked together. The primary chain is polysiloxane which is made from silicon and oxygen atoms (LeVier 515). The raw materials that are used to produce silicone are silica which is a crystalline commonly found in the Earth’s crust, water which is a natural raw material, and natural gas-derived methanol made by reforming hydrocarbons synthesis gas to then be converted to methanol. Finally, rubber is a coagulated (change from a fluid to solid) elastic latex, the primary raw material of which is sap, also known as elastic latex, that the Pará Rubber Trees produce. From there the latex is harvested through a process called tapping and then it overgoes multiple processes to create the final form of rubber. The top manufacturing and supplying companies for these products are Covestro AG, Shi-Etsu Chemical Co., and countries from Asia-Pacific (Intelligence Mordor). Covestro AG is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of polycarbonate for products like swimming goggles (Panchbhaiya). Shi-Etsu is another company that is known for its silicones to make various products including parts of swimming goggles.

Going onto the second stage of the LCA regarding manufacturing, processing, and formulation includes the manufacturing process of swimming goggles which consists of four parts. Swimming goggles are made of lenses in which polycarbonate is used, the eye socket or seal attached to each lens for comfort, the nose bridge that connects both lenses for each eye, and finally the straps that help everything come together and help adjust to a person’s head. Apart from the lenses being made of polycarbonate, the rest are made of silicone, and some types of swimming goggles use rubber. Another part of swimming goggles that this paper will not go into detail about since it was difficult to gather information on is the buckle attached to the strap to tighten or loosen it as desired. Now onto how swimming goggles are made based on a swimming specialist from Zoggs, a company that makes swimming gear such as swimming goggles. The production process can start with the lenses which again are polycarbonate lenses made through the process of injection molding meaning that polycarbonate is heated up to a temperature that melts it into liquid and then is injected into a mold for the lenses. To create the curve of the lens it can go through a heat-bending process and to make sure that an eye socket is made for a strong seal is through injection molding once again but with either rubber or silicone material. These are made to fit into the shape of the lens and sometimes the eye sockets are a part of the frame or can be done separately, but this paper is not analyzing the swimming goggles with frames. Toward the end of the manufacturing process, the straps are made through the compression molding process which may use a steel mold to get a variety of shapes specific to the swimming goggle (McConnochie).

After making swimming goggles, it is important to know how they are transported, this is the distribution transportation stage. A few of the most well-known manufacturing companies for swimming goggles are Speedo, Arena, and TYR. The packaging materials for swimming goggles have remained the same for years with the most common materials used being plastics and cardboard (PlasticsToday). These materials are mostly considered rigid packaging which means they are far more impact-resistant than flexible packaging. These materials are made from polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PTE) (Ramakrishna et al. 86). To get these materials, a polymerization reaction occurs which begins with primary ingredients ethylene or propylene known as monomers. More specifically, polyethylene is derived from the breakdown of the double bonds of ethylene and polypropylene in the same way but from propylene (Sharpe 25). However, propylene and ethylene are created from a steam-cracking process that involves the raw materials of naphtha, propane, and ethane (Boustead 5).On the other hand, cardboard is also quite common for packaging. The raw materials that go into the production process of cardboard are like paper, which are trees, yet cardboard is far sturdier than paper which is why softwood trees are used. These types of trees have stronger and longer fibers that contribute the strength needed for packaging, some of the softwood trees used are pines and fir (Daggar). Though no sources share how the shipping transportation process works in the swimming gear industry, it can be assumed it is done through trucks, ships, or planes and the material used is fuel. The types of fuels used are gasoline for light trucks and boats, distillate fuel for heavier trucks, trains, boats, and ships, and finally jet fuel for jet airplanes and some helicopters. All three of these fuels are considered petroleum products meaning they are made from crude oil and natural gas processing. Crude oil is considered a fossil fuel since they are a mix of hydrocarbons that have been formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals. With all these remains plus the layers of sand, silt, and rock and the help of heat and pressure, crude oil is created (U.S EIA).

As for the use, reuse, and maintenance stage of the LCA for swimming goggles, certain parts can be repaired but if there is any damage to the rest of the parts, the swimming goggles must be replaced. First, if the swimming goggles are worn out, they can be properly maintained by regularly washing the lenses to get rid of any dirt, make-up, or oils. A product that can be purchased for lenses are antifog sprays or wipes that work by either reducing the adhesive forces between the lenses and the water droplets so they don’t stick together and form into fog or they can also work by spreading the water droplets into an even thin layer which reduces the effects on visibility (“How Does Anti Fog Work?”). The only part that could be replaced if broken would be the silicone strap which can be easily purchased from swimming gear stores. If any other part like the eye socket or eye seal is deformed, it must be replaced since this can cause leaks into the eye and the swimming goggles would lose all their purpose of protecting the person’s vision. Lastly, though polycarbonate is most desired for lenses due to its strength, tints, and support of UV protection, it can still get scratched on them. If lenses have scratches on them, they could be fixed through anti-scratch coating, but it would most probably cause issues with visibility if scratches were already on them (Foster, Mclarty). These are just some ways that an individual can reuse and maintain their pair of swimming goggles, but once it is time to be replaced, they cannot be simply thrown out.

When it comes to recycling a pair of swimming goggles, there is nothing much to do other than go into the garbage due to their complicated composition and most goggles are not made of recyclable materials (“Authority Offers Summer Recycling Tips”). The only part of the swimming goggles that may be recyclable are the lenses since most are made of polycarbonate which is a type of plastic. However, very few companies have been steering into recyclable packaging and recyclable materials for their swimming goggles which makes a stark difference in taking care of the environment. Some shops like Sea & Stream can take in old swimming goggles to repurpose them for other items (Outdoor Swimmer). But besides that, unfortunately, it is difficult to recycle a pair of swimming goggles until companies and manufacturers in the swimming gear industry start thinking critically about the materials that go into their products that then become waste to the environment.

After researching every stage of the Life Cycle Assessment of swimming goggles, many raw materials go into the whole production process of swimming goggles, but this paper just mentions the general making of swimming goggles. Of course, there are other approaches to making swimming goggles like the sustainable way with recyclable materials. Throughout this process, hopefully, people feel a sense of acknowledgment and can understand how important LCAs are since swimming goggles are just one of many day-to-day products used by people that impact our environment. Not only for people but for companies and designers to be aware of there must be an improvement in how swimming goggles are produced to better care for the planet and cause less burden and issues for future generations.

Bibliography

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Brent Park

Kyhara J. Crespin, Roberto Reyes

DES 001 A08

Professor Cogdell

June 6, 2024

Life-Cycle of Swimming Goggles: Energy

Whether it’s competitive swimming or simply avoiding the heat of a summer day at the local pool, swimming has one constant: swimming goggles. A pair of these not only enhances underwater visibility, but also protects your eyes from the multitude of chemicals and particles floating around in the water. So designing goggles requires intricate techniques to fit these needs while keeping in mind the overall life-cycle. From the extraction of raw materials, to the processing and manufacturing, distribution, usage, maintenance and recycling, finally to the waste management of unused synthesis, the life-cycle of swimming goggles integrates multiple forms of energy such as thermal, electrical, chemical, mechanical, and more of varying degree depending on the diverse processes of production, some being more environmentally and resource conscious compared to others. Thus, it is important to be aware of these differences to understand why and when certain choices should be made in the life-cycle of swimming goggles to maintain the sustainability and efficiency of producing them.

The most energy-technical step of a swimming goggles’ life-cycle is the acquisition of raw materials and synthesis to convert them into usable configurations. One of the crucial building blocks for goggles is polycarbonate, primarily used to construct the lenses of the goggles. However, typically two methods are utilized to create polycarbonate. The phosgene-based method is the popular choice given its long-standing usage in the industry, with many manufacturers having equipment fit for this method. The focal point of this technique is the reaction between phosgene and bisphenol-A, where phosgene “is produced by reacting chlorine from the electrolysis of sodium chloride with carbon monoxide produced by pyrolysis of coal, oil or gas” (Boustead 5). The initial mining and extraction process of these raw materials involves mechanical and electrical energy to power the machinery used in operations, and through the use of chemical and thermal energy, the primary material is synthesized to usable compounds. Bisphenol-A on the other hand is more complex, where “naphtha or natural gas are subjected to cracking to produce propylene and hydrogen as well as other products, including some benzene” (Boustead 5). Afterwards, the benzene and propylene are reacted to create cumene and by-product phenol, which are then reacted to create acetone. Finally the acetone and more phenol are reacted to produce bisphenol-A. The multitude of these reactions and synthesis requires chemical and thermal energy, while electrical energy is utilized during the electrolysis process and steps where vacuum conditions need to be met. Generally, producing 1 kg of polycarbonate through this method requires 13.01 MJ for fuel production and delivery energy, 62.67 MJ for energy content of delivered fuel, 0.54 MJ for energy used in transportation of the materials, and 36.73 MJ for feedstock energy, resulting in a summation of 112.95 MJ per kilogram. The phosgene-based method is widely used due to existing infrastructure and facilities tailored for it. This also means the production chain is well established for efficiency and switching to another method could be costly. A less popular alternative to the phosgene method is the melt transesterification method, which is done through the reaction of bisphenol-A and diphenyl carbonate or dimethyl carbonate. Similar to the previous method, melt transesterification utilizes chemical energy in the synthesis of the materials and thermal energy is used to reach high temperatures during the process. Vacuum conditions are critical for this approach to minimize unwanted by-products and to help reach the necessary temperatures for the reaction which improves overall efficiency. Notably, the transesterification method does not include phosgene in its reaction base, which allows for this technique to be more environmentally conscious due to phosgene being a toxic compound that poses health risks and complicates waste management procedures. However, the phosgene process as mentioned before is already highly internalized in the industry and tends to be both energy and cost efficient, making it complicated as to which approach is better suited for the production of swimming goggle lenses given the varying circumstances.

The next major material utilized in swimming goggles is silicone, a common choice to construct the nose bridge, eye seals, and the strap. The method begins with mining operations to harvest quartz sand, which requires electrical and mechanical energy, after which immense thermal energy increases the temperature of the sand to separate silica from it. This approach in “most plants use 11-13 kWh (39.6-46.8 MJ) of electrical energy per kilogram of silicon produced. The electrical energy represents about 45% of the total energy supplied to the process while the raw materials accounts for the rest…roughly 30% of the total energy input is contained in the product of silicon; the remainder leaves the process as thermal energy in cooling water, as hot off-gases, by radiation and convection from the furnace, and from the cooling process of the liquid silicon” (Takla 1). Afterwards, chemical reactions between silica and carbon yields silicon which undergoes more reactions with water and methanol to synthesize silicone. Despite the energy intensive process of producing silicone, its flexibility and overall durability warrants the various uses it has in manufacturing swimming goggles.

For certain designs of swimming goggles, an adjustable strap buckle is used in tandem with the strap to easily adjust the length and tighten or loosen it. This piece is generally made of rubber, though rubber could also be used in other parts of manufacturing goggles, like the nose bridge, strap, etc. Natural rubber first requires extraction of liquid sap, known as latex, from certain trees through human labor and kinetic energy. The runny sap is combined with ammonia to prevent solidification and by adding acid to the mix, coagulation occurs which allows the rubber to be separated, thus involving chemical energy. Then rolling is performed to remove unnecessary water where mechanical and electrical energy powers the machinery. Afterwards, the compound is hung out to dry or electrical devices are used to manually dry them. Finally, various chemicals are added like carbon black filler to “improve its strength and durability” (Apple Rubber 1) and thermal energy allows for vulcanization where “the rubber is cooked to create extra bonds or cross-links between the molecules of the rubber so they don’t easily fall apart” (Apple Rubber 1). Typically, a kilogram of rubber producing requires 15-16 MJ of energy input considering chemicals, other fertilizers, primary processes, and transportation. Despite the lower energy requirements relative to polycarbonate and silicone, much more human labor is involved in the process of synthesizing rubber into a usable form.

Once the raw materials have been converted into polycarbonate, silicone, and rubber, the next step in the production process is to mold them into the appropriate shapes. This is done by thermal energy to heat the materials so they are fluid enough to be fed into molds, where mechanical energy corresponds to the machinery of the mold and injecting operations. Due to the specialized functionalities that lenses fulfill, they undergo extra steps for coloring or finishes. Certain colors are suitable for varying environments, like aqua or green minimizing color distortion in low light, or a mirrored finish being favored for outdoor use because it reduces glare. Whether it's dyeing or tinting to apply colors or using a vacuum deposition process for mirrored coatings, thermal energy is involved in completing the lenses. When all the parts are finalized, the goggles are assembled via either human labor or machines so they are ready to be packaged and shipped to distributors and retailers. While the bulk of this process can be done by mechanical contraptions to reduce physical work, human supervision is still valuable for quality control and extra packaging steps like including instructions or other items.

Completed swimming goggles that are awaiting shipment orders are usually stored in warehouses. Electrical energy runs most of the facilities functions like lighting and temperature control, while forklifts or reach trucks may be used to organize the storing system, which involves mechanical energy. The entire operation is supervised by human labor to receive orders and prepare shipments accordingly. In the case that a distribution needs to be made, the final product is sent out via vehicles, involving chemical energy if they run on diesel, gasoline, natural gasses, etc. or electrical energy if electric vehicles are used instead. These shipments can be sent out to distribution centers first or directly to the retailers, although which choice depends on the nature of the order and other circumstances. The option that sends products straight to retailers requires less time and could reduce transportation costs, but it relies on proper inventory preparation from the retailers and better coordination. It also means shipments can’t be in bulk and depending on how small orders turn out to be, the per unit cost of shipping could prove to be more expensive.

The usage and maintenance of swimming goggles doesn’t notably involve any energy inputs as they are simply put on as an apparel when needed. Thus, we can move on to the end of their life-cycle, where recycling is a preferable and relatively simple choice to make as many organizations seek to take unused swimming goggles and repurpose them, such as TerraCycle (specializes in eyewear), Outdoor Swimming Society, and more. These organizations usually accept unwanted swim products and sell or give them out to others in need, or recycle them in the traditional way, like TerraCycle where “the collected waste is mechanically and/or manually separated into metals, glass and plastic. Metals are smelted so they may be recycled. The glass is melted and recycled. The plastic undergo extrusion and pelletisation to be moulded into new recycled plastic products” (Terracycle 1). Deconstructing and separating the materials, as well as any shredding to reduce the size requires mechanical and electrical energy to power machines. Melting the compounds back to moldable forms involves thermal energy and heat, and if any further breaking down needs to be done, chemical energy and extra reactions are employed. On the other hand, if you decide to throw away your pair, the goggles could end up in a landfill where machines and mechanical energy manages the dumpsite, though the space requirements and longevity of this approach should definitely be considered. Otherwise, wasted goggles could also be incinerated through combustion and thermal energy, which could be a way to generate new energy through the incineration, but the pollutants from the procedure poses an environmental concern. Therefore, it is generally preferred to recycle swimming goggles once they are no longer used.

Despite swimming goggles being a relatively simple product that consumers probably don’t spend much time thinking about, they still have an intricate life-cycle that is made up of complex processes which requires various types of energies and sources. Significant chemical and thermal energy contributes to the synthesis of the raw materials, while the remaining stages rely on additional mechanical energy and human labor to carry out the production, distribution, and recycling or waste disposal. The diverse approaches of creating polycarbonate, shipping to retailers, and managing the product after use emphasizes the importance of understanding efficient energy usage while keeping costs and business in mind to support the industry. Thorough consciousness of these steps ensures that swimming goggles are manufactured and treated optimally in a way that benefits all.

Bibliography

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Roberto Reyes

Kyhara J. Crespin, Brent Park

DES40A

Life Cycle of Swimming Goggles:Waste

The product that we decided to pick were swimming goggles.The main materials included in this project are rubber, silicone, polycarbonate, and plastic. One of the main methods of creating these goggles is a molding process. The main one that seemed to be used the most was called injection molding. While the product itself does not create anything bad for the environment, the lenses must be cleaned if needed. If a strap or another part of the goggle breaks, then the consumer will most likely throw that product out and buy another one. It is hard to keep the product after it breaks. It spends most of its time under water so it's not as easy as just sticking it back together. For this product to be shipped out to companies and consumers, vehicles must be used to transport them. Lots of waste is created throughout the process. Some examples include waste being created from excess material coming out from injection molding. The packaging of the goggles can also create waste depending if the packaging is recyclable or not.

Waste causes so many problems in the world. Environmentally, waste does not help and only causes harm. If not managed correctly, waste harms oceans, and pollutes. Waste can fall into oceans and harm animals. We have all seen how there have been things such as waste that harm the environment horribly. I was specifically interested in waste because I think it could give a greater insight into how something as small as a pair of swimming goggles could create so much waste. Especially since we are nearing the summer season, goggles are most likely going to hit their peak sales in these upcoming couple of months with people wanting to go swimming. It's important to see what a product like this produces when it comes to waste. This paper will go through how waste is produced through every section of the Life Cycle. The stages of the life cycle are raw materials, manufacturing, process and formulation, distribution and transportation, use/ reuse/maintenance,recycle and waste management. I will be going over how waste is created from each of these sections. According to Heavy Industry, the life cycle was described as “key phases that constitute the creation,use, and disposal of products.”(Dutton,2022).

When going in the order of the life cycle, the first thing that comes up are the raw materials. I am just going to quickly glance over them and go more into detail on how the extraction of these materials is harmful for the environment. A major material used to make these packaging is plastic.According to the impact of plastic on climate change, plastics are made up of a lot of fossil fuels.it mentioned how more than 300 million tons of plastic are made every year (Vasarhelyi,2023). A material like this being used for a large portion of the goggles’ packaging will only add to that waste. The article also mentions that plastics do not decompose. It instead mentions how it just gets broken up into smaller pieces of plastic.

I myself wanted to see how much plastic was used so I decided to go to my local target. I went to the swimming section and found a lot of goggles. I mainly wanted to focus on Speedo goggles since those seem to be the most popular brands. Upon looking at the packaging, the goggles were encased in this cube of plastic. Behind it was what seemed to be some cardboard. All the packaging is essentially waste. Instead of making some sort of reusable case where you can store your goggles after use, it's this plastic and cardboard packaging which will be thrown out to the garbage upon opening. Plastic that was not needed. The impact of plastic on environmental change once again brings up that the extraction of fossil fuels needed to make plastic and transporting it as well produces about 1.5-12.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses. That is an extremely unhealthy amount that can be decreased drastically. It needs to start somewhere and while changing the packaging to something more efficient wont get rid of that number, it's always great to start somewhere. The amount of plastic that could be reduced on packaging alone.

Another major material that was used is rubber. I wanted to see in what way rubber created waste. According to Mark Tool & Rubber, rubber comes from latex and the creation of rubber is said to affect the environment in a negative way. The article mentioned how it produces greenhouse gasses and pollution as well. The article stated that the waste pollution being created takes up to centuries for it to decompose. This is very concerning since a large part of the goggles consists of rubber. Another material that is used is silicone. According to Green Match, “The production uses hydrocarbons derived from petroleum, raising concerns about sustainability and carbon emissions.” (Ukpanah, 2024). Something like this could be very dangerous when it's used as often as it is. The article mentions

I tried to possibly search for examples on how this waste could be reduced. Plastics Today talked about how Aqua Lung America and Michael Phelps were working together to make better packaging.The article mentioned how less than 50% of plastic is used than other packaging for goggles.It also mentioned how all the plastic used there is recyclable.I found this article to be extremely interesting because there is a clear effort to reduce waste. There was even special modeling for the goggles and the straps. This way there is no excess plastic to be used. That's just one simple way that plastic waste could be reduced. I think if something like this could be done across all of the big companies, the amount of waste created would significantly decrease. It is unnecessary trash that is being created for absolutely no reason.

According to Goggles N More, the main material that is used for the lenses is a material called polycarbonate. The article states that polycarbonate is what makes up the lenses and is what makes them hard to snap and break easily. It also mentions that there are also plastic lenses (Goggles N More, 2019) It's hard to pinpoint exactly what goggle companies use as their main lens materials but it is safe to say that plastic and polycarbonate are definitely used a lot. A&C Plastics Inc. states that polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that has a lot of uses and that it's used a lot for lenses. It also mentions how it is durable. recycledplastic.com discusses the environmental impact that a material as popular as polycarbonate has on the environment. It states that dangerous chemicals like bisphenol A are bad not only for the environment but also for people. It also mentioned that if not recycled, then it just contributes to waste (Enpower).

During the manufacturing process, it was revealed that a lot of waste was also produced. Injection molding is what seems to be the main form of manufacturing these goggles at a rapid and efficient pace. When you have huge companies that make these very polar and in demand products, they don't want to have to be making everything by hand. This is where injection molding comes in. I watched a video called manufacture process of swim goggles. Swimming equipment for summer. The video was by a youtube channel called Process Discovery which showed the manufacturing process of goggles. Throughout the entire process, I was searching to see if any waste was created throughout the process.

Something that I had noticed was that in injection molding, the machine has a mold which you place onto the material to make the lenses.I noticed that when the material was placed under the mold a lot of excess would come from it. This excess material is waste that is being created. The video demonstrated workers then going in and cutting off the excess material which just turns into waste at that point and no longer has a use. There were parts throughout the video where they would be these stems holding 2 pairs of goggles together. That piece of what seemed to be plastic was holding it together and would get cut off. Some of the excess would be separated by that is just waste being created. I had also watched another video titled The Making of a Goggle|Zoggs Advice by Simply Swim also goes into detail on the manufacturing process for goggles.I notice what I thought was excess from things like the straps. Workers were also stripping small parts of the material off.A google patent titled swimming goggles and the making process goes into great detail on how the injection molding process happens. It talks about the temperatures under which it is molded as well as how the lens gets connected to the frame.Overall, the main source of waste from the manufacturing process comes from all of the excess material that is created from the molds.

When it comes to transportation, the waste that is created from this is pretty obvious. These products need to be shipped. They are shipped all over the world whether they come from other countries or if they are being driven to a store nearby. We have all seen those Target or Walmart trailers that carry products which are being delivered to those stores. These large trailers are contaminating the environment by being powered by has and that same thing applies if they are being transported by boat. Some companies however are trying to reduce the amount of emissions being created by these vehicles by making a lot of these trailers electronics. Amazon is a great example. However that still does not change the fact that most transportation is powered by gas which is horrible for the environment and is wasteful.

As for the Use,Reuse and maintenance section of the life cycle, there isn't much that can be done for goggles. Once a pair of goggles tear, most people throw them out and buy a new pair. It is not something that can be easily repaired and will it be something that the average consumer will want to bother doing. If something like the straps break or the lenses have a problem, then they will be thrown out. This is especially true since you don't want to have family goggles. Their purpose is to be underwater so breaking will just lead to a new pair being bought. As far as the recycling part of the lifecycle goes, it is easy that goggles don't have to be wasteful. According to Outdoor swimmer, goggles can be recycled(Outdoor Swimmer,2022). This is very helpful because there are many products that once you are done with some products, you throw them out.

A problem with this however could be that many people use something like goggles until they reach the end of its use. People might use them until they break. In many cases, people might throw out the goggles and df might not think about recycling them. It is still great however to know that the product can be recycled. This in the long run helps a lot by reducing waste by a product that gets purchased so often.

Many products create waste whether it be in the manufacturing process, transportation, etc. Swimming goggles are no exception. At almost every stop in the life cycle, waste is being made. Whether it breaks and gets thrown down, or if it's excess material, it's almost impossible to get around the fact that waste will be created when making such a high in demand product. Especially if the product is being made in mass production. Throughout the paper, I tried to bring up some points that other sources made regarding some solutions to this. If the proper measures are taken to try to reduce as much waste as possible, it can positively affect not only the environment but us the people as well. A little can go a long way and the change always starts somewhere.

Works Cited

“CN1202886C - Swimming Goggles and the Making Process.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/CN1202886C/en. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“The Impact of Plastic on Climate Change.” Environmental Center, 26 Jan. 2024, www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2023/12/15/impact-plastic-climate-change#:~:text=Because%20single%2Duse%20plastic%20is,metric%20tons%20of%20greenhouse%20gases.

“Is Silicone Bad for the Environment? Statistics, Trends and Facts.” GreenMatch.Co.Uk, 20 Mar. 2024, www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/is-silicone-bad-for-the-environment.

“Life-Cycle Design – Strategies for Improving the Sustainability of New Products: One/Three.” Life-Cycle Design – Strategies for Improving the Sustainability of New Products | One/Three, www.heavy-industry.co.uk/blog/life-cycle-design. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“The Making of a Goggle: Zoggs Advice.” YouTube, 7 Feb. 2020, youtu.be/gOh8LsMY2pg?si=zz8Nhz0i7qUgzqC2.

“Manufacture Process of Swim Goggles. Swimming Equipment for Summer.” YouTube, 22 July 2023, youtu.be/yzkY-2nfVCg?si=Vh1fmp-MFeNlFCps.

Munsell, Faith. “The Environmental Impact of Rubber Manufacturing.” Mark Tool, 31 July 2023, www.marktool.com/the-environmental-impact-of-rubber-manufacturing/#:~:text=The%20processing%20of%20the%20raw,that%20takes%20centuries%20to%20decompose.

“Polycarbonate: Toxic Chemicals in Plastic.” Recycled Plastic, 7 Sept. 2023, www.recycledplastic.com/polycarbonate-toxic/#:~:text=Environmental%20Impact,environment%20if%20not%20properly%20managed.

“US20180318649A1 - Swimming Goggles.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/US20180318649A1/en?inventor=Carlos%2BAlberto%2BGodoy. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“US6718560B2 - Swimming Goggles and Manufacturing Process Thereof.” Google Patents, Google, patents.google.com/patent/US6718560B2/en. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“What Are Swim Goggles Made Of?” GogglesNMore, www.gogglesnmore.com/blog/what-are-swim-goggles-made-of-4e3495/. Accessed 6 June 2024.

“What Is Polycarbonate? - Polycarbonate Facts: A&C Plastics.” Polycarbonate Facts | A&C Plastics, www.acplasticsinc.com/informationcenter/r/what-is-polycarbonate. Accessed 6 June 2024.