The new environmental product declaration reflects a broader effort to align with international disclosure frameworks and follows publication of methodologies developed in Europe and the United States over the past two years.

“The release of this PCR provides the lubricant industry with a clearer, more consistent method for communicating environmental performance across markets,” a CECEP representative said. “It helps bridge information gaps between producers, buyers, and regulators while maintaining international compatibility.”

The International EPD System is a global program controlled and operated by EPD International AB, a registered limited company headquartered in Sweden. As such, EPD International AB adheres to Swedish legislation, including national company regulations and relevant international standards. There is also an operating entity in China.  

The framework was codeveloped by the CECEP Eco-Product Development Research Centre and Sinopec Lubricating Oil Co., with procedural oversight by Stockholm-based EPD International AB, the International EPD System’s operating entity.

Unlike product carbon footprint frameworks that concentrate solely on greenhouse gas emissions, product category rules address a broader range of environmental indicators says EPD International, allowing for comprehensive environmental product declarations.

While the new lubricant product category rules support life cycle–based sustainability disclosures, its ultimate influence will depend on adoption by major lubricant producers and stakeholders across supply chains.

Industry analysts note that the coexistence of environmental product declarations, product category rules and product carbon footprints continues to create complexity in sustainability reporting. Broader alignment between these tools, they say, will be essential as environmental transparency becomes a factor in procurement standards and market access worldwide.

In Europe, the Union of the European Lubricants Industry and the Technical Association of the European Lubricants Industry prioritized the harmonization of product carbon footprint methods and life-cycle assessment tools for lubricants, greases and specialities, according to the UEIL. Their joint methodology focuses primarily on greenhouse gas emissions rather than the broader array of environmental indicators addressed in EPDs, says ATIEL.

In the United States, the American Petroleum Institute produced its Technical Report on life-cycle assessment and carbon footprinting lubricants, which emphasizes the importance of consistent methodology and acknowledges that “choices … can have significant impacts on the outcome of a performed assessment,” writes API. Meanwhile, the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers has noted that “sustainability means different things to different stakeholders … carbon emissions are important but not the whole story,” in its magazine TLT in 2024.