P2 Case Study
Pollution Prevention as Reported in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
How One Facility Completely Eliminated the Use ofTCE
Schick Razor Blade Manufacturing in Knoxville, Tennessee
Schick Manufacturing Inc: Trichloroethylene (TCE) Production-Related Waste Managed
25M
EDGEWELL PERSONAL
CARE - SCHICK PLANT
What do they do?
Manufacture razor blades for
personal use
SCHICK Manufacturing Inc
2820 Media Dr
Knoxville, TN 37914
Sector: Fabricated Metal Mtg
NAICS: 332215
POLLUTION PREVENTION
Eliminated the use of
trichloroethylene (TCE) in 2017
and removed all related
equipment from its processes
P2 BENEFITS
Elimination ofTCE risks
Lowerd costs for materials
waste disposal, and energy
usage ($225,000), and
Reduced labor and
monetary costs for the Title
V permit ($7500)
20M
~ 15M
10M
5M
2017
Recycled: 10,657,920 pounds
Released: 12,100 pounds
Treated Off-Site: 1,708 pounds
Total: 10,671,728 pounds
Facility eliminated TCE use by the end of 2017
2016
Recycled: 19,184,256 pounds
Released: 45,600 pounds
Treated Off-Site: 1,806 pounds
Total: 19,231,662 pounds
Facility working toward solution to replace the
use of TCE with a non-hazardous cleaning process
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Schick reported reductions for TCE production related wastes by 50% or apx. 10,000,000 lbs. in the 2017
TRI reporting year. By October 2017, the entire facility was TCE free.
About the facility: Edgewell Personal Care - Schick's Knoxville, Tennessee facility (formerly
American Safety Razor) manufactures a wide variety of razor blades for personal care.
Chemical used in production: Trichloroethylene (TCE) was used as a cleaning solvent in
both liquid and vapor cleaning/degreasing operations. TCE was used in both the wash baths
after the grinding process and during the final cleaning process of the blades. The bulk of the
TCE had been recycled on-site through carbon absorption and distillation as shown in the
trend graph above. Out of the 20 million pounds managed in 2016, less than 50,000 lbs were
released to air as fugitive or stack air emissions and and much less at about 15,000 lbs for
2017 before their transition to completely TCE free.
Why P2?: Eliminating TCE at the Knoxville plant became a priority because of the high cost of
its use (e.g., waste disposal, energy costs associated with distallation). There was also concern
for the regulatory risk, liability and remediation costs from potential TCE air releases and
contamination. In addition TCE is considered a hazardous waste and the company wanted to
eliminate the health, safety and environmental risks to the community.
P2 results: Since December 2017, TCE use has been completely eliminated at this plant; the
chemical is no longer used in operations or in any equipment. For the 2018 TRI reporting year,
Schick is no longer required to submit a TRI report for TCE. By moving to the new process, the
hazardous air pollutants were also reduced by 77.8% (23 tons per year on average) eliminating
the need for a Title V Air Permit under the Clean Air Act, moving this facility from a major
source permit holder to a minor source permit holder. This resulted in a cost savings of $7500
for the permit fee assessed annually. Although risk reduction was die key driver for these P2
measures, the plant estimates cost reductions of $225,000 a year in total, part of which was from
reduced energy costs ($130,000) from the new system.

-------
Project Description:
How did they do it?
P2 project description: The Knoxville plant decommissioned the twelve original
TCE based cleaning wash boxes used in razor blade production and replaced them
with a comprehensive hot-air blow off (HABO) system. The HABO system is
designed to dry and clean the parts with high velocity hot air.
•	Grinding: The razor blades are sharpened during the grinding process, and any
residual oil and small pieces of metal can be left behind once the blades are
sharpened. The new ITABO system is used as a first step to ensure that the
blades are free from any burrs or residual oil left behind. The new system does
not require chemicals like TCE to be used to clean off the product following
the grinding operation.
•	Final cleaning: The team worked with a company specializing in a vacuum
parts cleaning technology. After many months of comprehensive testing,
Schick found that using an alcohol-based cleaner in the vacuum technology
proved to be ideal for the project.
Throughout the whole project, continuous communication and training was
maintained with the entire team helping to assure a complete understanding and
smooth transition of the new technology. Schick invested over $500,000 for the new
cleaning systems, and over $2.5 million dollars on the entire project with a return on
investment (ROI) of 11 years.
OLD TCE Strip Cleaning Wash Box
NEW Hot Air Blow-off Equipment

-------