UEIL Technical & Competitions Committee
HSE committee update
The meeting of the UEIL HSE workgroup was once again well attended, although with a tendency for remote participation. We discussed again the latest trends in the field of industrial lubricants and legislation. An update was given on the recent ELGI AGM, where key topic was the replacement of Li-thickeners by other technologies because of the threat of re-classification of certain Li-Salts. A workgroup of DIN already works on methods for detecting free Li-Salts in presence of Li-based thickeners.
The EU restricted the use of microplastics for certain applications. Formulators and end-users are unsure about the question if and how the use of microplastic is allowed in in industrial products. The HSE committee will issue a paper describing the conditions under which the use of microplastic in lubricants is still possible. This paper may help lubricant formulators in communication with their customers.
The question if the MOCS concept (as a part of the recently by the parliament adopted CLP regulation) affects our industry is still open. The initial idea was that complex mixtures such as base oils are classified as if they intentionally mixed from pure substances. This threatens group I base oils because of their aromatic content. For the moments, the HSE committee still has the opinion that already registered base oils will still be exempted.
As far as the REACH legislation is concerned, we do not expect any new revision before 2025. An exemption is maybe the “essential use” concept, where a guidance document was published. “Essential use” means that the use of hazardous chemicals are only allowed in case of substantial benefits for the society. This concept will eventually applied to the question of PFAS restriction. A complete restriction, as stipulated in the restriction dossier of certain member states, becomes less likely and there may be some exemptions for critical applications.
Technical & Competition Committees Update The work of UEIL’s Technical and Competition Committees (TC/CC) is key for its members as it defends a free market and fair competition, including ensuring that motorists can have access to references of oil technical specifications in owners’ manuals and choose between different competing product. The Committee was contacted by several of its members regarding the lack of information in Toyota’s owners’ manuals about technical specifications and notably for this application: Automatic Transmission - Toyota Genuine ATF WS. Without prejudice, the UEIL contacted the named OEM and requested their investigation into these omissions. We are pleased to report that the technical specifications have now been made available. A number of other cases are ongoing.
The TC/CC has also updated its guidance for the implementation of the EU MVBER. It outlines some of the principles of the European legal framework relating to the purchase and use of lubricants and other functional fluids. Vehicle Manufacturers, importers or dealers can be fined heavily if these rules are not complied with.
Sustainability Committee Update WEBINAR: Validated Methodology for Product Carbon Footprint Calculations for Lubricants and other Specialities
On May 28th UEIL and ATIEL were delighted to host the first in a short series of webinars to describe the development, publication and use of the first cradle- to-gate methodology for the calculation of product carbon footprints (PCF) of lubricants, greases and other specialty products. The methodology is key in allowing industry actors to analyse carbon emissions associated with their products, aiding in their emission reduction efforts.
The webinars were extremely well-attended with participants joining from Asia, Europe and the
Continued on page 54 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.181 JUNE 2024 53
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