Design Life-Cycle
assess.design.(don't)consume
Giselle Jimenez-Martinez
DES 40A
Professor Cogdell
4 December 2019
Ball Mason Jar Life Cycle Analysis: Raw Materials
In recent years an increased recognition of the devastating effects that many wasteful consumer practices have on the environment has occurred. Specifically there has been a growing realization of the various devastating effects that single use plastics have on the environment, as a result many have searched for replacements. The versatility of Ball Mason Jars has made it a popular alternative, often used as dinnerware, food storage, home decor, etc. While these jars effectively replace single use plastics there remains a lack of knowledge regarding the sustainability of the production of these jars. I will examine how the raw material and production processes of both the glass jars and tin plated steel lids translates into the overall sustainability of Ball Mason Jars.
Before I delve into my research it is essential that I briefly discuss my approach. The Ball Corporation supplies limited amounts of information on the production of their mason jars, only offering company history and a brief timeline of changes to the design of both the glass jar and two-piece lid. For this reason, much of my research has been done on typical production methods of glass jars and tin-plated lids. Despite these hurdles, I was able to determine whether the production of mason jars is sustainable.
It was particularly difficult to locate where Ball Corporation acquires the materials utilized to produce the various components of their mason jar. Although I could not directly pinpoint specific suppliers, it can be inferred that there is a global network of suppliers because their manufacturer, Newell Brands manages a global network of companies. Additionally, it can be assumed that the main types of transport utilized in this global network is trucking, railroads and cargo ships. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors top anthropogenic U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” where trucking in particular is the largest GHG emissions contributor, 23% in 2017. Cargo ships and rail transport accounted for 3% and 2% of GHG emissions in 2017 respectively (“Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions”). Although both cargo ships and rail transport are less culpable of GHG emissions, there can be a further reduction of emissions. For example, in the cargo shipping industry it is important that governments take action and hold the complex web of corporations involved responsible for the unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels (Selin; Cowing). Essentially, the transportation systems utilized need improvements in order to increase the sustainability of the mason jar. Now the examination of the materials utilized to produce the jar and their direct relation to the mason jars sustainability will begin.
The sealant on the flat section of the two-piece lid was another component of the Ball mason jar which I had trouble researching. Ball Corporation provides a timeline of changes in the design of their mason jars, however the details of the design remain limited. According to the timeline, in 1968 plastisol sealant replaced rubber latex, however no specific information was given on the plastisol formula used. The last recorded changes were to the plastisol formula in 2012, as a response to the growing awareness of the presence of BPA in the previous formula (freshpreserving.com). Due to the fact that I could not find the specific plastisol formula I was unable to comprehensively determine the implications of the materials in the mason jars overall sustainability. I did however learn that the sealant on the flat section of the two-piece lid is single use, due to the moldability of the plastisol which seals to the jar in order to preserve foods for long periods of time. The sealing of the flat section of the lid is only guaranteed once, thus rendering the flat section of the two-piece lid single use. This is a decisive characteristic of the sealant relating to the overall sustainability of the lid, a component of the jar produced from energy intensive metals. The two-piece tinplate lid is made of steel and tin which have highly energy intensive purification and melting processes. The fact that a large component of the two piece lid is single use, begins to reveal the unsustainability of the mason jar.
The many purification processes needed in the production of tin render it highly energy intensive. Tin is extracted from cassiterite ore which is majorly found in “low-grade gravel deposits” in Southeast Asia. Extracting tin from the cassiterite ore takes several purification processes, often including the use of other materials such as “limestone, silica, and salt.” In order to extract tin during the smelting process, the furnace needs to be heated to approximately 1400 degrees Celsius. This high melting point is crucial to the overall sustainability of tin because it determines the demand on energy sources—directly correlated to the amount of emissions produced. If additional materials are used during the smelting process, then it needs to be repeated various times due to the high reactivity of tin (Cavette). Due to the extensive purification processes with high temperatures the production of tin is unsustainable because of its high demand on energy sources. The production of steel is also highly energy intensive.
The raw materials necessary to make molten steel have high melting points and require various energy intensive processes. To make the molten steel, the raw materials: “iron ore, chromium, silicon, nickel, carbon, nitrogen, and manganese” are intensely heated in a furnace for 8 to 12 hours.” After the melting process the molten steel is shaped into a slab. Then the slab is reheated in order to flatten the steel into a sheet. The heating of the steel sheet continues during the annealing process in order to acquire more of steels desired qualities. During annealing the steel is heated to 1037 degrees Celsius for a period of time and then cooled at a rate dependent on the thickness of the sheet. The desired shapes are cut from the steel sheet and polished, to increase its resistance to corrosion. The steel shapes are further processed in order to finalize the shape of the two components of the lid (Millberg). After the steel is produced it is coated with tin through the electrolytic deposition process where the tin is melted “between two high-frequency electric induction coils” and flows over the steel coating it in a thin layer (britannica.com). After all the energy intensive processes in the production of the two-piece lid, the limited life of a portion of this lid, attests to the unsustainability of the current design of the jars.
The fact that the flat portion of the two-piece lid has such a short life points to the fact that the production of mason jars is not as sustainable as it is typically believed to be. This is aggravated by the low levels of recycling of metals because although “metals are infinitely recyclable in principle” recycling practices are “often inefficient or essentially nonexistent.” Many metals which require “large amounts of technology, time, energy, and money” to produce are commonly discarded and lost after very few uses. In order to improve metal recycling practices education on proper processes is necessary, thereby maintaining metals in circulation reduces the strain on raw materials and the demand for high levels of energy. It is also important for designers to be conscious of proper recycling methods while designing products, in order to improve the recyclability of metals (Reck & Graedel). Utilizing recycled metals in the production of the two-piece lids will make the design of mason jars more sustainable by reducing the strain on raw materials and energy sources. There is also great potential to increase the sustainability of the glass jar.
Although glass making has been around for a long time it remains a highly energy and material draining process. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “glass manufacturing is among the most energy-intensive industries.” The glass making process begins by melting the crushed raw materials: sand (silica), lime (calcium oxide), and soda-ash (sodium oxide). In addition to the raw materials, cullet (broken ash) is added as a flux agent (“From Grit to Glass”). Flux agents—such as soda ash and cullet—are utilized to reduce the melting point resulting in a decreased need of materials to heat the furnace, largely natural gas (“Energy-Intensive Industry”). Although flux agents are a method to reduce the amount of energy needed during the production of glass, glass making remains an energy indulgent process (eia.gov). After the melting of the raw materials in the furnace the need for high amounts of energy continues with molding and cooling.
During the molding and cooling process it is important to maintain the temperature constant and then gradually reduce the temperature in order to increase the durability of the glass jar, increasing its reusability. The most common jar making method is the press and blow process, which is dependent on the continued use of heat to form the molten glass into jars. Uniform “gobs” of the molten glass are made as it exits the furnace. Each gob is dispensed into a forming machine where a parison—the basic shape of the jar—is made by pressing on it. The parison is reheated, increasing its moldability, and blown into a mold where the details of the jar are added (W, Edward). From this point forward cooling begins through the annealing process, ironically however more heat is necessary to do so. The glass jars are gradually cooled in order to relieve internal stress, this is critical to the durability of the jar (“Annealed Glass”). After cooling, the jars go through inspection if a jar does not pass then it is recycled to make cullet (“From Grit to Glass”). Glass can be infinitely recycled and used as cullet, however in practice this does not occur.
Glass products can be continually recycled without a decrease in quality, however in practice the recycling of glass is not as effective as it can be. According to the American Chemical Society (ACS) “10 million metric tons of glass is disposed of every year in the US,” of this only 33% is recycled, the rest ends up in landfills. A big contributing factor to the low recycling rates is the lack of public knowledge regarding proper recycling practices and the resulting behaviors of the majority of the population. Due to current recycling practices there is a low availability of good quality cullet, meaning that in addition to low levels of recycled glass the level of properly recycled glass is even more dismal. When glass is not recycled properly it takes a lot of time and effort for manufacturers to access “clean, furnace-ready” cullet. In order to increase the recyclability of glass there needs to be public education and an implementation of proper recycling practices. For example, enforcing the practice of recycling glass separately from all other recyclable products in order to improve the quality and availability of cullet. An increase in the availability of good quality cullet, reduces the amount of raw materials needed to manufacture new glass products, a decrease in the demand for raw materials in turn reduces the high demand for energy and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions (Jacoby). Considering the various energy-intensive processes in the production of glass, there are various areas which need improvement in order to make glass jars more sustainable products.
Throughout my examination of the general production practices of tin plated lids and glass jars, I unveiled the fact that current production practices of the mason jar are not as sustainable as they are portrayed throughout society. The production of each element of the mason jar is highly energy intensive rendering its production unsustainable. However, through my research I was also able to find ways in which the production of mason jars can be improved, particularly by improving recycling practices reducing the demand of raw materials in the production of the mason jar. Resulting in a reduction of the high demand on energy sources and resulting greenhouse gas emissions from production processes. Although mason jars are not as sustainable as they are portrayed to be, its overall the reusability and durability points to the fact that it is still a great alternative to single use plastics.
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Katherine Hung
DES 40A
Professor Cogdell
4 December 2019
Ball Corporation Mason Jar Life Cycle: Energy
The Ball Corporation glass mason jar is composed of three parts- a glass jar, a two part tin lid, and a silicone rubber food grade gasket. The jar was developed by John Landis Mason in 1858 due to farmer’s food continuously spoiling. It was soon mass produced by the Ball Corporation which helped increase production and traction of the mason jar. The Ball Corporation was originated in Buffalo, New York, then moved to Munice, Indiana in 1888 due to the rise of natural gas in that area which was used in the melting of raw materials. (Glass Bottle Marks) In the 20th century, the popularity of the jars grew as they became essential in farming culture because of how beneficial it was to storing foods for off seasons. Then during World War II, mason jars gained even greater popularity due to the shift from rural to cities, meaning the need for preserving food for even longer periods of time.
Today, due to the rise of Pinterest and DIY, mason jars have regained their popularity and have begun to be incorporated in many people’s daily lives again. People use them for a variety of reasons from glasses for drinking to candle holders. This has allowed production to greatly increase as the jars used are a more environmentally friendly way to store food, drinks, and objects.
To make a glass mason jar, there are several steps and products that must happen before the final product goes out for distribution. For glass, it is comprised of lime, silica, and soda which melted at high temperatures. The lid is composed of iron ore, chromium, nickel, manganese, and silicon stainless steel and is also heated at high temperatures. The silicone food grade gasket is made of silicone and rubber. This paper will discuss the energy used in the life cycle of the Ball Corporation glass Mason Jar from when materials are found, transported, produced, packaged, and distributed. It will inform readers about both the primary and secondary sources of energy used to process and recycle the glass, stainless steel lid, and the silicone rubber food grade gasket.
To fuse materials and turn them into a jar, several steps that use of different types of energy must be taken from the extraction of materials to the moulding of the jar. Lime, silica, and soda are all found in the ground and must be removed from the rocks before they can be used. Lime is found in limestone which is a sedimentary rock that is extracted from quarries and mine and makes up 9 percent of the glass jar. Several heavy equipment powered by diesel and driven and controlled by humans cuts up the limestone into blocks which are then loaded into a large truck and taken to a facility that crushes the rock. (ITLabs) It first goes through a primary crusher that is fueled by electricity and if needed, the limestone is then put through another crusher than is also powered by electricity. After the limestone is fully crushed, it is then taken to a preheating kiln where it is heated by direct contact with the kiln exhaust gases. It is then transferred to a rotary kiln by conveyor belt where it is calcined which decomposes the limestone into calcium oxide (quicklime) and carbon dioxide. The calcium oxide is then cooled by direct contact with “cooling air”. Both kilns are powered by natural gas. (How Lime Is Made) When the lime is fully removed and prepared, it is transported by barge, railroad, and truck which use gasoline as energy. Silica is plentiful as it the most significant component in the earth’s crust and makes up 70 percent of the glass. For example, some rocks that it is found in are obsidian, granite, diorite, and sandstone. However, the type of silica used for glass is pure quartz silica because of how translucent it is. (“IMA Europe.”) It is mined for through open pit or dredging methods with standard mining equipment which uses diesel and humans. Once the silica is collected, it is driven to the Ball Corporation factory by trucks which use gasoline as their fuel. The last material used to make glass is soda (sodium carbonate) which can be found naturally or it is manufactured. It is found naturally in trona, a sodium carbonate compound, which is mined for underground most commonly in Wyoming. (“Trona.”) Heavy equipment is used such as Continuous Miner which is powered by electricity, then the trona is carried to the surface and processed through crushing to remove unwanted gases which transforms it into sodium carbonate. If not naturally found, soda is manufactured from sodium chloride (common salt). (Lazonby, John) After lime, silica, and soda are extracted and processed, they are transported to the Ball Corporation factory where all the materials are mixed together to form the glass jar. The materials are placed in a furnace and are heated by natural gas combustion which reaches temperature up to 1,600 degrees Celsius. An efficient large furnace will require 1100 kWh of energy for each tonne of glass melted. (Hartley, A) Once the materials are melted together and are a liquid, machines that are powered by electricity place it into moulds and cooled. Besides the glass, the stainless steel lid must also endure a similar process of extraction and heating before it can be moulded into the lid we use today.
The stainless steel lid is a two part lid that utilizes several different energy sources to create it. 304 stainless steel is composed of iron ore, chromium, nickel, manganese, and silicon which creates the strength and durability of the lid. Iron ore is extracted and crushed using heavy equipment powered by diesel, then the iron is extracted from the ore by a high intensity magnetic roller separator. (“From Ore to Steel.”) Chromium, the materials which allows stainless steel to be hardened and toughened, is extracted from chromite ores. Nickel is extracted through the process of extractive metallurgy which heats the ore at a high temperature with a strong blast of air. Manganese is extracted through the hydro-metallurgical and electrolytic processes. (Downing, James H) To get silicon, oxygen is removed from silicon dioxide by mixing it with carbon and heating it in an electric arc furnace to temperatures beyond 2,000 degrees Celsius. After all the materials are collected and are brought to the factory, they are placed into an electric arc furnace that is heated to 2,550- 2,6500 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-12 hours until it is molten. (Steel, Marlin) Then it is sent to a machine that removes excess carbon, and when the excess carbon is removed it is sent to turning which turns the steel slowly to remove impurities and improve consistency. It then cast into forms, hot rolled, cold rolled, and annealed. When annealed, the steel forms scales and to remove them it is put in a bath of nitric-hydrofluoric acid also known as descaling. After, it the steel is cut and finished by grinding wheels and abrasive belts to give it the smooth shiny look. This entire process is powered by electricity. (Reshift Media) Before the lid is complete, a food grade silicone rubber gasket must be placed on the top.
On the top of the stainless steel lid, there is a food grade silicone rubber gasket which even though small, requires a great amount of energy to create. It is composed of Neoprene, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), Nitrile, Silicone, and Santoprenes. (What Is a Rubber Gasket? How Is It Made?) All the materials are mixed together in a hot pot. Once all the materials are combined, it is poured into a sheet where it is either hand cut which is an assembly line of humans, die cut where a machine cuts a unique shape out of the material, water jet cutting, a more precise version of die cutting, or molded. After the shape of the gasket is cut out, it is press on the lid to fill the space between the lid and the jar to prevent leakage. After all the products and components are made, they are then all combined to be ready for packaging and distribution which is typically done by machines and humans.
Since the mason jars are reusable, people tend to keep the jars for many years. As for maintenance, all the user has to do is wash it with water and soap and is able to use it several times after that. However, when they do decide that the life of their jar is over, the mason jar is taken to the recycling so the glass and the outer band of the stainless steel lid can be melted down again to be made into other products or new jars. Since the silicone food gasket is on the flat seal part of the lid, that can not be recycled and must be thrown into the landfill. After consumers throw their glass jars into the recycling bins, they are taken to the factory where they are sorted by color and washed, then crushed. The crushed glass is then melted in a furnace and moulded into new products. Glass can be recycled multiple times as it does not degrade through the recycling process. (“How Glass Is Recycled.”) For the 304 stainless steel lid, it is melted down, then goes through the same process it went through when producing stainless steel products. (“Post Navigation.”) However, even though the jars and lids can be recycled, after many years of use, people most likely throw them into the trash.
After investigating how much energy is needed to create a Ball Corporation mason jar, I think that even though the jars are recyclable and the brand promotes that they are sustainable, such great amounts of energy is used to produce the product, it is not actually that sustainable. There are so many different materials and raw elements that are found in a variety of places which are needed to simply create a three part jar. The amount of energy used to collect and process those materials are such a great amount compared to the amount of time a jar is used. Even when the glass is recycled and repurposed, there is still a great amount of energy needed to transport, crush, and melt the materials again. Overall, this process shows that even recyclable and reusable items are not as sustainable as we think.
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Downing, James H. “Manganese Processing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Aug. 2013, https://www.britannica.com/technology/manganese-processing.
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Jasmine Chou
DES 40A
Professor Cogdell
4 December 2019
Ball Mason Jar: Waste and Emissions
The Ball mason jars produced by the Ball Corporation are becoming staples of the American home. Usually bought in a bulk of twelve, these increasingly popular glass mason jars are making its way into arts and crafts projects, homemade jams homes, and small storage units. Mason jars come in various sizes, ranging from 8oz to up to 64oz, and each mason jar comes in three major parts - the glass jar, the tin band, and the tin lid. The Ball Corporation makes a deliberate effort to advertise them as environmentally friendly canning system. Throughout their use, maintenance, and recycling, my group recognized there are still ways they can improve their transportation and waste component. Furthermore, the process involved in making the Ball mason jars, which encompasses the glass jar, the tin lid, and the outer band, are contributing to the annual emissions of greenhouse gases and pollution of the environment.
From their origins, much of the raw materials utilized for the mason jar come from fairly “green” processes. The main component of the mason, the glass jar, is made of the raw material of soda lime glass. Glass is commonly made with a combination of raw materials, “including sand, soda ash, limestone, and cullet.” However, sand is considered “the most refractory of the major raw materials,” (Learn about Glass) meaning that is hardest to melt and will require higher temperatures to work with. Because these harvested materials are also going to be sent to the furnaces for melting, with temperatures ranging from “2600 to 2800 degrees Fahrenheit,” (Kellogg) the burned fossil fuels will create much pollution. The other two components of the mason, the band and the lid, are both composed of tin, which is the result of ore metal-containing bodies eroding away. The process of extracting just tin ores varies, but much mining, concentrating, smelting, and refining happens at mine sites or separate facilities. In doing so, it results in acid rock drainage from waste rock (How Can Metal Mining Impact the Environment?), meaning streams may become contaminated due to pyrite (“an important sulfide mineral common in waste rock”) becoming exposed to water. Ball does not opening communicate about policies centered around environmentally friendly tin extracting, but tin mining process exposes local bodies of water to waste and contamination. The tin lid also has another feature - the red rubber silicone food grade gasket lined underneath the lid itself. This gasket comes from extracting silicon from silica and then passed through hydrocarbons (Where does Rubber Silicone come from?). Silica mining utilizes open pit or dredging mining methods that has limited environmental impact. However, workers who mine may breathe in tiny bits of silica, which may lead to a serious lung disease called silicosis or permanent lung damage (Silicosis and Crystalline Silica Exposure and Mining: Information for Workers.).
During the manufacturing process, the majority of waste comes from the burning of fossil fuels to provide the electricity to power high-tech machinery used to mass-produces these mason jars. Ball Corporation has recently gotten better in their processing overall when they began their first issued sustainability report in 2008. However, according to the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute in 2004, Ball Corporation was listed as the 59th-largest corporate producer of air pollution within the U.S., at an estimated 4.57 million pounds of toxic air released annually. Waste products that come from tin processing include soil, sand, and stones rejecting during concentrating and mining operations, constituting a large amount of material. On the other hand, “the slag produced during the smelting and refining operations is also a waste product” (Tin). This slag may contain quantities of arsenic and lead that may be potentially harmful, even though tin itself has no known harmful effects on the environment.
This distribution and transportation phase contributes to the overall waste equation. However, Ball Corporation factories are located primarily in the United States to limit the output of carbon dioxide released from transporting the goods. It is unclear exactly what method the corporation uses to distribute the glass jars, but whether it be planes, trucks, or trains, they all contribute their share of pollution to the equation. These modes of transportation use up various fossil fuels, primarily fuel oil. The share of transportation is limited if moving from factory to stores, as the Ball manufacturing factories are all located within the United States.
When mason jars are used properly (for canning purposes primarily), there is no waste emissions, whether that be from the tin or the glass. Nevertheless, regarding maintenance, water and soap is needed to clean the jars. The tin for both the band and the lid does not corrode unless exposed to water for too long of a period of time. Generally, all parts of the mason jar, when washed, dried, and cared for properly, can be re-used multiple times. For the most part, using Ball Corporation mason jars are not a major threat when it comes to releasing dangerous outputs.
In the recycling stage, the Ball mason jar is assumed to be “thrown out.” The glass can be recycled easily, whether the mason jar has broken into pieces or has remained intact. The tin portions of the mason jar also be recycled. However, it is important to note, the tin lid is lined with a rubber silicone food grade gasket. Silicone is inert; thus, it should not react with any other elements/compounds. Regardless, it is not biodegradable, and may complicate recycling. On the other hand, the tin band, whether it has rusted or not, can be recycled. Each part, metal and glass, is recycled at various recycling areas depending on the users’ locations. Different modes of transportation will be required to transport the items to a recycling factory; thus, one can expect pollutants, such as CO2, to be emitted. Though there are certainly greenhouse gases released into the air, this should not discredit their recycling process in any way.
The mason jar’s waste management component depends heavily on user knowledge. Though the Ball Corporation mason jar advocates their consumers to recycle all parts, some of the mason jar lids may end up in landfills due to the silicone gasket lining. Mason jars ultimately rendered as ineffective when the glass breaks or once the tin band or tin lid rusts. When the glass breaks, users are most likely to throw broken pieces into the garbage, rather than with the recyclables.
Ball Corporation takes great pride in being the most popular canning jar company as well as being labeled as an environmentally friendly brand. On their website, Ball states “sustainability is one of our top priorities,” and they are still improving their sustainability practices, with goals such as “Drive for 10” and “cut / 4 carbon.” My group’s main goal in choosing this specific product was to discover if the increasingly popular Ball mason jars are as “green” as they market it. Through our research, we can conclude that Ball Corporation may not be as eco-friendly as they seem and is not as transparent about their process as we originally thought. It is difficult to calculate how much fossil fuels are emitted throughout this entire process, but Ball Corporation does state they limit their factories within the United States border. While there is still lots to be said about the practices Ball Corporation upholds, there is still more work to be done on their part to drive a more sustainable future.
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