Design Life-Cycle

 Scrub Daddy™

Raw Materials

Sonya Nguyen

DES 40A

Winter 2023

Prof. C. Cogdell

Raw Materials of Scrub Daddy Sponge

   In August 2012, a man named Aaron Krause stepped foot into a television studio, after months of campaigning and auditioning, to pitch a product he had created to a group of investors on a show called “Shark Tank”. That product was The Scrub Daddy. The Scrub Daddy™ is a cleaning sponge that can be used wet or dry and change its texture based on the temperature of water used. Thanks to social media, it became a viral product and accumulated more than 50,000 positive reviews on Amazon. What makes the Scrub Daddy™ different from a regular sponge, is its materials and notable smiley face design. The sponge itself is made out of a material that is patented and exclusive to the Scrub Daddy called FlexTexture™. FlexTexture™ "is a highly engineered polymer foam”, according to the Scrub Daddy’s website FAQ. Sponges, in general, are not environmentally friendly as they have very short lifespans and can not easily degrade over time, therefore continuously filling landfills all over the world. Our research shows that Scrub Daddy mainly uses petroleum and crude oil as their primary raw material in almost all steps of their acquisition, manufacturing, processing, and distribution. The Scrub Daddy, although marketed as “different” from other typical sponges, still contributes the same amount and type of polluting waste as other sponges; we believe they can do a better job at creating more sustainable ways of manufacturing their product.

  The original Scrub Daddy™ sponge is made out of one primary material that the company has patented; polycaprolactone thermoplastic polyurethane foam. The raw materials that make this special thermoplastic polyurethane foam is petroleum. Petroleum is acquired through oil drilling either through land or through the ocean. Both methods of acquisition are obviously not ecologically responsible and contribute greatly to harming the environment. The crude oil is extracted by using large oil drills that penetrate petroleum reservoirs that are located underground. [11] Once the petroleum is extracted, it is transported to a refinery, where it will be broken down into individual pure substances through a fractionation unit. [12] It is through this fractionation process that polyols and isocyanates are extracted from the petroleum, which will then be used to create the thermoplastic polyurethane foam for the Scrub Daddy. From what we learned about the processes that go into acquiring the raw materials for the Scrub Daddy; the Scrub Daddy company does not prioritize making their products environmentally safe or friendly. Looking into how the Scrub Daddy is manufactured and processed will continue to present how making their sponges ecologically sustainable is not their priority.

The manufacturing and processing of polycaprolactone thermoplastic polyurethane requires lots of components and steps. Since Scrub Daddy uses a patented material exclusive to their company, there is not a lot of specific information on how Scrub Daddy manufactures their products. But since we know the material that the Scrub Daddy is made out of, we can draw a logical conclusion on the steps and raw materials that are required to manufacture and process the sponge. As stated before, the material used for the original Scrub Daddy sponge is a polycaprolactone thermoplastic polyurethane foam. Polycaprolactone is a polymer that is used in the production of specialized polyurethanes and is a thermoplastic polymer that changes its structure depending on the temperature it is exposed to. [13] This is what makes the Scrub Daddy different from regular sponges. The primary raw material needed to manufacture and synthesize polycaprolactone is petroleum. After the petroleum has gone through fractionation, polycaprolactone is synthesized either through the polycondensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid or through the ring-opening of a lactone. [14] Next, the manufacturing of thermoplastic polyurethane foam also requires the raw material of petroleum. Some of the substances that are extracted from the fractionation process of petroleum include polyols and isocyanates; these two substances are what create the main polymer chains that will then be used to create the polyurethane foam. The manufacturing of polyurethane foam includes two systems; the polymer system preparation and the foam production process. [10] The polymer system preparation is the process when the polycaprolactone, the polyols, and the isocyanates are combined to create the main polymer chain of the polyurethane foam. Another raw material that is needed in this process is water, as it acts as a chemical blowing agent to synthesize the polymer chain. After the polymer system preparation is the foam production process. In this process, after all of the components are combined, the mixture is poured into a mold, heated, and then either cut or formed into the iconic smiley face that represents the Scrub Daddy sponge. Although we, unfortunately, do not have the specific steps on how Scrub Daddy manufactures their sponges, as they are not transparent about their processes, the general process we have learned through research of creating Scrub Daddy’s “FlexTexture” is elaborate and requires the usage and acquisition of a lot of energy, power, and raw materials. This further contributes to our statement that the Scrub Daddy company could be more invested in being transparent about their manufacturing process to be more ecologically responsible. 

Once the sponges have been manufactured, they will be distributed to be sold all around the country. Currently, the Scrub Daddy is only sold within the US territories and the only international country they distribute and transport to is Canada. Consumers can buy the products in most big box stores or online on their website or on Amazon. The main raw material used for the transport would be, similarly to the material of the sponge, petroleum and fossil fuels. These raw materials would be used in the trains, planes, ships, and automobiles that transport the sponge all around the country to the stores or directly to the consumer. The packaging of the Scrub Daddy uses basic cardboard, but when looking at the box of the sponge, nowhere on it states it uses recyclable materials. This is another element of the Scrub Daddy that we believe the company should change and use more recyclable materials for their product. The raw material for their cardboard would be wood as the wood pulp is used to create the cardboard. Scrub Daddy includes the raw material of petroleum into most of the elements of their products, and as stated before, we believe the product can be improved to include better sustainable options. This is even more necessary as there is no way to reuse the sponge once it has reached the end of its short lifespan.

The Scrub Daddy only lasts for about one to two months; as time progresses and the more it is used, the sponge will start to fall apart and disintegrate. There aren't many ways to reuse a worn sponge, therefore there are no new additional raw materials that are needed for the use, reuse, and maintenance of the sponge. As for recycling, the Scrub Daddy company has a recycling rewards program that they encourage their customers to utilize. How this recycling program works is that the customer mails their used sponge back to the Scrub Daddy company, and the sponges are then transported to an industrial recycling facility where they are shredded, which are then turned into an alternative engineered fuel. This fuel made from the sponges is then transported and given to cement factories to power the cement kilns. The main raw materials used in this process would be fossil fuels and wood again, as the wood would be used for the box used to ship the sponge back and the fossil fuel would be used for the gas used in all of the transportation used in this recycling process. Although this seems like a great way to recycle their sponges, the information about this program was not clearly visible on the website, and nowhere on the packaging of the Scrub Daddy tells the customer about this process. This is another element we believe the Scrub Daddy company can improve on is to make themselves more sustainable and ecologically responsible, as the company can better advertise their recycling program to consumers, or find a better way to upcycle their sponges. 

To conclude, petroleum, a raw material that is not renewable or ecologically sustainable, is used in almost all processes of making and distributing this sponge. Petroleum is extracted from the ground, and from there it is used to make the sponge itself, transport the sponge, distribute it, and to even recycle it. From our research, we have found that there are many ways the Scrub Daddy company can improve on creating a more sustainable product that doesn’t rely on such a polluting raw material.

Scrub Daddy LCA Bibliography

1. Krause, A. C. (2014, March 20). Thermochromic Foam Cleaning Pad and Process for Making the Same. 

2. Kuntzleman, T. (2019, August 9). Scrub daddy science. Chemical Education Xchange. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.chemedx.org/blog/scrub-daddy-science 

3. Labet, M., & Thielemans, W. (2009). Synthesis of polycaprolactone: A Review. Chemical Society Reviews, 38(12), 3484. https://doi.org/10.1039/b820162p 

4. Picks, I. (2017, May 17). There's a reason this sponge is the most successful 'Shark Tank' product to date. Insider. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.insider.com/guides/home/scrub-daddy-shark-tank-success-story-2017-3 

5. Shimuzu, G., Hayashi, Y., Hasegawa, H., Koga, T., Takei, A., Okuyama, T., & Torige, H. (1987, May 19). Thermochromic polyurethane foam. 

6. Gama, N., Ferreira, A., & Barros-Timmons, A. (2018). Polyurethane foams: Past, present, and future. Materials, 11(10), 1841. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101841 

7. Commodity Plastics. Polymer Database. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://polymerdatabase.com/polymer%20classes/Thermoplastics.html 

8. Whitney, A. (2017, January 12). The one shark tank product actually worth buying. Bon Appétit. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.bonappetit.com/story/scrub-daddy-sponge-shark-tank-review 

9. Knutson, C. M., Schneiderman, D. K., Yu, M., Javner, C. H., Distefano, M. D., & Wissinger, J. E. (2017). Polymeric medical sutures: An exploration of polymers and Green Chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 94(11), 1761–1765. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00835 

10. Industrial Quick Search. (n.d.). Industrial Quick Search. Polyurethane Foam: What Is It? How Is It Made? Applications. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/foam-fabricating/polyurethane-foam.html 

11. Petroleum. Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/petroleum/ 

12. Reports, S. (2020, October 23). Midstream 101: Fractionation. Williams Companies. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.williams.com/2016/05/18/midstream-101-fractionation/ 

13. What is polycaprolactone thermoplastic polyurethane (polycaprolactone tpu)? - definition from Trenchlesspedia. What is Polycaprolactone Thermoplastic Polyurethane (Polycaprolactone TPU)? - Definition from Trenchlesspedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.trenchlesspedia.com/definition/3633/polycaprolactone-thermoplastic-polyurethane-polycaprolactone-tpu#:~:text=Polycaprolactone%20Thermoplastic%20Polyurethane%20belongs%20to,oil%2C%20grease%2C%20and%20abrasion. 

14. Labet M, Thielemans W. Synthesis of polycaprolactone: a review. Chem Soc Rev. 2009 Dec;38(12):3484-504. doi: 10.1039/b820162p. Epub 2009 Sep 25. PMID: 20449064.

15. Sponge. How Products Are Made. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2023, from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Sponge.html 

16. Fabrication of polyurethane foam from (a) petroleum-based resources and ... (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Fabrication-of-polyurethane-foam-from-a-petroleum-based-resources-and-b-plant_fig1_337674784 

EJ Munoz

Christina Cogdell

DES040A Energy, Materials, & Design

02 March 2023

Scrub Daddy Embodied Energy

Even a panel of accomplished investors from the reality TV series Shark Tank could not predict the success of the Scrub Daddy. Scrub Daddy is a sponge that differentiates itself by resembling a smiling emoticon in addition to a special material called polycaprolactone (PCL). Though not confirmed by the company, it is thought to be made with this thermoplastic polymer as it enables its texture to harden in cold water and soften in warm water. This allows for a wider array of uses than that of a regular sponge. Scrub Daddy also features a recycling program for their products that allows their customers to send back their used sponges, which will then be repurposed as fuel for other companies. Overall, the production of the Scrub Daddy does not take a lot of energy itself– most of the energy used comes from gathering materials and transporting them from one place to another. 

One of the raw materials used for the Scrub Daddy are oils, which can be extracted from the ground. This requires mechanical through the use of fossil fuel-powered oil rigs and human effort. According to the Springer Link, an oil rig uses about 350–500 kW of energy daily depending on the type of rig and its complexity.  Another raw material is wood, requiring mechanical and electrical energy to cut trees. According to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resource (UCANR), there are different diesel-powered machines used to gather wood. The feller-buncher cuts the tree and places it on the ground, using 5.98 gal/hr of diesel. The skidders drag the logs to a collection point, the landing, which uses 5.06 gal/hr of diesel. The loader moves the logs on to the log trailer, consuming 2.67 gal/hr of diesel. Finally, the grinder uses 17.45 gal/hr of diesel to grind up the logs to be used for different materials. 

The oil then goes through refinement, a process that uses thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy in order to heat up the crude and separate the raw oil by volatility. The United States Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) states that oil refineries use more than 3 x 1015 Btu of energy every year. This oil is taken and made into two of the three main ingredients: polyurethane foam and polycaprolactone. The production of 1m2 of polyurethane foam uses about 106 kWh, as stated by Synthesia Technology. Polymer production processes use about 53-107 MJ/kg, which can apply to the production of polycaprolactone polymer. These ingredients are then injected into a mold, which forms the familiar smile everyone associates with the sponge. The wood is used to make wood pulp and paper using thermal and electrical energy,. 91.85 kWh/ton and 1619 MJ/ton paper respectively.

The transport and distribution of the Scrub Daddy uses mechanical, electrical, and chemical energy to power transport trucks, planes, and humans. The chip van is a special trailer used to transport the wood chips from the logging site to the factory, which consumes 10.99 gal/hr of diesel. Tractor-trailers to transport the products from the factory to retail stores use around 412 kW at full energy output, according to Ziółkowski, Fuć, Jagielski, and Bednarek. The OSTI stated that the average delivery truck, which can be used for both delivering to doors and sending old sponges back, uses around 2.02-5.24 kWh/mi.

Consumption of the product simply uses mechanical energy. People can use it to clean any surface they would like to and that is its only intended use. People can wash it in water to keep it clean for the next use.

The Scrub Daddy company features its own recycling program, which uses mechanical, electrical, chemical, and thermal energy in order to convert the used Scrub Daddy’s into fuel for other companies. It first shreds the old sponges, which is then melted into an oil. After being turned into oil, it will be sent to other factories in which it can be used to fuel machines as its basic material is petroleum.

There really is not a waste management system for the Scrub Daddy as it is usually either thrown away by the consumer or sent back to be recycled. This means that it is up to the consumer to be responsible for the disposal of the sponges, in which they can send it back to be repurposed as fuel. 

The Scrub Daddy does not take much energy to produce and distribute. Energy usage can be applied to gather the oil, molding the sponge, distributing the product, and melting the old sponges into fuel. This is better for the environment compared to most companies, not only because it takes so little energy but also because the company can repurpose its product as a source of energy later. However, the problem is tied mostly to the consumer in which they are given the responsibility to handle the disposal of the sponges. Scrub Daddy as a company has a good vision for its products, so hopefully they make more of an effort to encourage consumers to return their old sponges to be recycled.

Works Cited

1. Krause, A. C. (2014, March 20). Thermochromic Foam Cleaning Pad and Process for Making the Same. 

2. Kuntzleman, T. (2019, August 9). Scrub daddy science. Chemical Education Xchange. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.chemedx.org/blog/scrub-daddy-science 

3. Labet, M., & Thielemans, W. (2009). Synthesis of polycaprolactone: A Review. Chemical Society Reviews, 38(12), 3484. https://doi.org/10.1039/b820162p 

4. Picks, I. (2017, May 17). There's a reason this sponge is the most successful 'Shark Tank' product to date. Insider. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.insider.com/guides/home/scrub-daddy-shark-tank-success-story-2017-3 

5. Shimuzu, G., Hayashi, Y., Hasegawa, H., Koga, T., Takei, A., Okuyama, T., & Torige, H. (1987, May 19). Thermochromic polyurethane foam. 

6. Gama, N., Ferreira, A., & Barros-Timmons, A. (2018). Polyurethane foams: Past, present, and future. Materials, 11(10), 1841. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101841

7. Averous, L. “Properties of Thermoplastic Blends: Starch–Polycaprolactone.” Polymer, vol. 41, no. 11, May 2000, pp. 4157–4167., https://doi.org/10.1016/s0032-3861(99)00636-9. 

8. Chen, D.R, et al. “Polycaprolactone Microparticles and Their Biodegradation.” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 67, no. 3, 1 Mar. 2000, pp. 455–459., https://doi.org/10.1016/s0141-3910(99)00145-7. 

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