European lubricant industry groups are pushing for tighter rules around how lubricant manufacturers calculate and communicate emissions reductions attributed to their products.
The Technical Association of the European Lubricants Industry (ATIEL) and the Union of the European Lubricants Industry (UEIL) published a joint position paper Sept. 15 addressing “avoided emissions” and “handprint” methodologies, with particular attention to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Avoided Emissions Guidance V2.
The associations say the methodologies need to provide a credible way of measuring the climate benefits that lubricants can deliver in use, while preventing those benefits from being confused with reductions in a company’s own emissions.
That distinction is increasingly important as lubricant manufacturers seek to quantify the contribution of products designed to reduce friction, improve energy efficiency and extend equipment life. Such products can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the operation of machinery and vehicles, even though those reductions occur outside the lubricant manufacturer’s own operations.
ATIEL and UEIL argue that these downstream benefits should be recognized when they can be demonstrated through robust and transparent methods. They are calling for calculations that reflect actual operating conditions and can withstand scientific scrutiny.
The groups also stress that avoided emissions should sit alongside, rather than substitute for, conventional greenhouse gas accounting. Scope 1, 2 and 3 reporting remains the framework for measuring emissions associated with a company’s operations and value chain, while avoided-emissions accounting addresses reductions enabled by products or solutions.
For lubricant companies, the distinction could become significant as sustainability claims increasingly form part of product development, customer communications and regulatory reporting. A common methodology could make it easier to compare claimed benefits between products and manufacturers, while reducing the risk of inconsistent or overstated claims.
The position paper, prepared by the organizations’ Joint Sustainability Committee, sets out principles for future avoided-emissions and handprint frameworks applicable to lubricants. ATIEL and UEIL are calling for a collaborative, science-based approach that can produce consistent estimates of the emissions reductions enabled by lubricants and other products.
The two Brussels-based associations said the objective is to establish a credible framework for recognizing the role lubricants can play in wider decarbonization efforts without compromising the integrity of corporate emissions reporting.