ATIEL & UEIL Joint Sustainability Committee 10 Application Advice
Lubricants are essential for efficient operation across various industries, but their end-of-life (EoL) management is crucial to minimizing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability. Proper handling, disposal, recycling, and recovery of lubricants require tailored strategies for different applications, including filled-for-life lubricants and total waste lubrication. This chapter will provide guidance on EoL practices for different lubricant types and offer concrete steps for improving sustainability through training, collaboration, product formulation, and the use of digital platforms.
Lubricants are used in diverse applications, each with specific EoL requirements. The best practices outlined here will help in minimizing waste, promoting recycling, and ensuring that lubricants are disposed of or recycled responsibly.
10.1 Total Loss Lubricants
Some lubricants are designed for total loss applications, where the product is partially or completely lost during operation (e.g., lubricants used in chains and wire ropes, open gears, demoulding fluids, rust preventives and some industrial applications). These lubricants present a challenge due to their limited recovery potential.
A large amount of lubricating greases also falls within this category. Products designed for sealing, rust or wear prevention in open systems such as pins, bushes, hinges etc are typically lost during use. The percentage of the product lost will depend on the application conditions and has to be verified and accounted for by the end user.
In addition to this, grease cannot be drained and collected from systems in the same way liquid lubricants can. This means that in some applications the grease will be disposed of as an element of the lubricated part being replaced. Examples of this are bearings, actuators, slideways and most components that are filled for life and are discussed below.
Total loss lubricants are challenging to manage because they are typically dispersed into the environment, often by design. Alternatively, as they cannot be separated from their application, they will be subject to the recycling or end-of-life (EoL) practices of the part or system in which they are used.
Lubricants certified against programs such as the Nordic Swan, Blauer Engel, EPA and EU Ecolabel ensure criteria such as high biodegradability, low toxicity and low bioaccumulation are satisfied.
In the case these lubricants fall under the incidental loss (ILL) category and can be collected after the use phase, care needs to be taken as these product will typically not be mineral oil based and cannot be collected or handled when mixed with traditional lubricants.
A proactive approach to minimizing total loss involves working with OEMs to design lubrication systems that are more amenable to the use of products that can be re-refining or recycled, even after their use phase has ended allowing for circularity.
Partnerships with specialised recycling companies should be established to ensure that even difficult-to-recycle lubricants are properly managed, reducing their environmental footprint. As in any used lubricant case, the hazardous waste codes defined in each country needs to be abided by.
Version 11.06.2025 © ATIEL and UEIL Lubricants & Greases End of Life, Sustainable Best Practices Page 27 of 42
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