Castrol, a global lubricant brand, is partnering with Safety-Kleen, an environmental services subsidiary of Clean Harbors Inc., to launch Castrol MoreCircular in the United States. This initiative aims to reduce the carbon footprint of maintenance lubricants by implementing a comprehensive process. It involves collecting used oil from business customers, re-refining it, and integrating re-refined base oil into premium lubricants for supply to businesses.
Following successful market trials, Safety-Kleen and Castrol have signed a multiyear collaboration agreement, although the financial terms remain undisclosed. Castrol MoreCircular will officially launch on May 20 at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Las Vegas.
The initiative combines Castrol's lubricant technology with Safety-Kleen's expertise in collecting and re-refining used oil. The process ensures that the new product range meets or exceeds the latest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and industry standards. The trials with Castrol's business customers have demonstrated the high-quality and high-performance attributes of these lower carbon footprint lubricants, which match the performance of products containing virgin base oil.
The end-to-end offer begins with the collection of used lubricants from Castrol MoreCircular customers such as fleet maintenance shops and industrial sites. Approximately 70% of the used oil is recovered as base oil through re-processing. Re-refined base oil makes up at least 65% of the base oil in each MoreCircular lubricant. The estimated carbon footprint reduction of the lubricants ranges from 20-40% compared to Castrol’s traditional products, depending on the percentage of re-refined base oil used.
Currently, only about 20% of the more than one billion gallons of used oil generated annually in the United States are re-refined back to base oils. Castrol MoreCircular aims to increase this percentage significantly, moving towards a more circular lubricants industry in the country. The initiative aligns with Castrol's PATH360 sustainability strategy, emphasizing circularity as a key principle.
Andreas Osbar, CEO of Castrol Americas, highlights the potential of Castrol MoreCircular to help business customers meet their sustainability goals while maintaining product quality and performance standards. Brian Weber, President of Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions, expresses pride in the partnership and emphasizes Safety-Kleen's extensive network for responsible collection and reprocessing of used oil.
Key advantages of the Castrol MoreCircular business offer include lower carbon footprint lubricants, proven Castrol high performance and quality, responsible collection across the Continental U.S., and a one-stop-shop solution for lubricant supply and collection.
