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What about the trend towards electrification? Won’t that mitigate the need? Colin: There has indeed been a sizeable lift in electric vehicle sales over the last few years, especially in Europe. Lubrizol is certainly active in developing various e-fluid technologies to enable a switch.


But the fact remains that internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles still make up most of the global vehicle parc and are predicted to do so for the foreseeable future. It’s critical that we don’t overlook that fact and remain proactive in our efforts to address ICE vehicle needs.


So, what else can the industry do to make lubricants more sustainable? Colin: As Dave noted, the additives industry continually innovates to keep pace with regulatory and OEM requirements. Subsequently, lubricant technology has improved in its ability to support better performance and efficiency in the field.


But the reality is that additive and performance polymer chemistries only make up very small portions of finished lubricants. With that in mind, one way the industry could make lubricants more sustainable is by broadening its focus to include the materials that make up the bulk of finished fluids. Specifically, base oils.


How do base oils impact the sustainability of a lubricant? Dave: A formulator’s base oil selection for a given lubricant formulation varies based on a range of factors, the application of the final product often being the primary consideration. For example, modern engine designs dictate allowable elemental levels to ensure efficient catalyst operation. Similarly, volatility restrictions lessen hydrocarbon emissions. Additionally, as I alluded to earlier, the trend towards lower-viscosity oils is driving market adoption of API Groups II, III, IV, and V.


Those are all valid and important considerations. But they’re also heavily driven by in-use sustainability implications. In other words, the handprint or positive environmental impact that the finished products can make in the field.


There are other elements that contribute to how base oils impact overall lubricant sustainability, including


22 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.173 FEBRUARY 2023


the environmental impacts or carbon footprints of how and where selected base oils were produced, how and where they were shipped, and how and where they are discarded or reclaimed.


So, what should formulators do better to incorporate these factors into their sustainability considerations? Colin: Firstly, formulators should establish what sustainability truly means to them in the context of their total operations. And those definitions should be representative of how they want to conduct their businesses from top to bottom.


For example, suppose an organisation wants to understand better how raw materials such as base oils contribute to the overall sustainability profile of their finished products. In that case, they should emphasise factors such as how those base oils are produced and sourced. And they should prioritise asking their suppliers for sustainability-related inputs, including factors such as energy consumption and emissions output used in the manufacturing process.


With those inputs, organisations can conduct complete life cycle analyses—commonly referred to as LCAs—for more accurate representations of product sustainability. The benefit of such an approach is a cradle-to-grave view of a finished product’s sustainability profile that factors in the total carbon footprint of all material streams in the value chain, base oils included, along with the handprint of the product in use.


You mentioned energy consumption and emissions output as important footprint inputs. Do you have any suggestions for calculating hard figures? Dave: Yes, there are multiple frameworks in use today that formulators and their suppliers can apply. But there is some nuance. And how they apply those frameworks does matter.


For example, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the various sources of emissions, organised into three categories: Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.


In this context, Scope 1 emissions account for an organisation’s direct greenhouse gas emissions.


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