TotalEnergies Lubrifiants continues with its decarbonization aims

By launching the new Quartz EV3R range made from regenerated base oils and featuring packaging made from 50% recycled plastic (itself entirely recyclable), TotalEnergies’ lubricants division has reached a major milestone regarding the circular economy.

TotalEnergies Lubrifiants’ climate strategy is based on two main pillars: reducing the CO₂ emissions generated by its own operations and assisting its clients in decarbonizing their activities. To achieve this, the company is launching a new premium range of lubricants made from regenerated (or re-refined) base oils (RRBOs) for use in light vehicles (an equivalent range for HGVs will be launched in September 2024). 

The range, named Quartz EV3R (for Reduce, Reuse, and Regenerate), has already been approved by numerous car manufacturers and offers the same performance levels as conventional oils. To assist its clients in their decarbonization efforts, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants has employed an eco-design approach that has reduced the product’s carbon footprint by 20% from cradle to grave. This reduction is primarily due to the use of RRBOs, which account for at least 50% of the formula, and the incorporation of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in the packaging. 

Quartz EV3R 10W-40 has been awarded the new SUSTAINera label, which refers to all of Stellantis’ circular economy activities and its sustainable offering within its Parts & Services range. The emergence of premium quality RRBOs in recent years can be attributed to new recycling plants that employ more efficient regeneration technologies. 

Accelerating the use of regenerated base oils

To further leverage this circular approach and accelerate the use of these regenerated base oils in the manufacture of its high-end lubricants, TotalEnergies recently acquired Tecoil, a Finnish company specializing in the manufacture of re-refined base oils. Tecoil treats waste oils using the most effective “re-refining” process available on the market to restore the properties and performance of these oils to the level of the best conventional base oils. Tecoil’s know-how has been combined with TotalEnergies’ own expertise in manufacturing and distributing lubricants to meet its clients’ growing demand for increasingly high-performance and eco-friendly products. 

A circular approach to packaging 

Hence, premium RRBOs currently available in the form of group I to III API base oils are a credible alternative to virgin base oils (VBOs) in more lubricant applications, including engine oils. However, for TotalEnergies Lubrifiants, the circular economy also involves packaging – the company aims to have recycled materials account for 50% of all its plastic packaging in Europe by 2030. 

Working with lubricants involves various challenges, such as handling waste and cutting down on plastic. To lower scope 3 emissions (the broadest measure of greenhouse gas emissions) and the environmental impact of the life cycle, using more of these recycled plastics is part of the answer. 

Circularity, from base oils to caps 

As part of this goal, from September 2023 onwards, all the platinum-colored containers for premium lubricants used in France and Belgium have been produced from recycled plastics that come from consumer waste. This year, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants also launched a new cap for 20-liter containers that uses recycled materials for the first time in the European lubricants industry – half of it is recycled plastics. 

The project also expanded to include the silver color packaging, with the silver EV3R cap. It is remarkable that more than 800 tons of recycled plastic were utilized at production facilities in France and Belgium in 2023. The new 5-liter Silver EV3R container has 50% recycled HDPE. This amounts to 195g of HDPE for a 13g cap. The same method has been applied to the 1-liter container (63g of high-density polyethylene). 

The incorporation of recycled materials therefore makes it possible to considerably reduce the carbon footprint of a lubricant: 21% for the lubricant, 25% for the packaging.