ABN Resource’s latest diversity, equity and inclusion survey reveals a sector divided between skepticism and support, tradition and change, merit and access, while exposing a much larger conversation about leadership, talent attraction and the future competitiveness of the industry itself.
ABN Resource’s DEI survey reveals a lubricants industry that is deeply divided on this hot-button subject. More than half of respondents said their organization has no measurable DEI goals, while 45% of respondents said DEI is “not a priority” within their organization at all.
Only 21% of participants in the survey described DEI as a core company value, while 37% said their organization had reached implementation, maturity or optimization stages in their DEI journey.
For some professionals, DEI is increasingly linked to innovation, leadership development and attracting talent into a technically demanding sector that faces pressure with an aging, soon-to-be-retired workforce. Others associate DEI with political agendas, quota-based hiring or the idea that standards may be compromised in the name of representation.
The debate has become emotionally charged in parts of the market, particularly as the political rhetoric from the upper levels of government around DEI continues to influence discussions.
The results are compiled in a report that captures both criticism from some respondents and strong support from others, reflecting an industry still navigating where inclusion, merit and competitiveness intersect.
DEI and Merit: Friend or Foe?
The lubricants sector is already managing a difficult workforce landscape. According to the ABN Resource’s Lubricants Talent Report in 2025, 75% of participants in the survey were aged 45 or older. Technical expertise emerged as the industry’s single biggest perceived skills gap in the talent report. In this context, the DEI conversation begins to look less ideological and far more commercial.
At the center of the debate sits a fundamental question: Is the industry doing enough to access the widest possible range of capable people?
That distinction matters because one of the strongest themes running throughout the report is the difference between merit and access. Many respondents expressed concerns that DEI prioritizes demographics over qualifications. Others argued that hiring should focus purely on selecting the best person for the job.
Yet effective DEI still centers on merit. Its role is to widen access to talent pools that may otherwise remain overlooked.
An effective DEI initiative keeps merit as a core principle while removing hidden barriers that prevent true meritocracy. This can be achieved by objective assessments and casting wider nets.
The research suggests DEI can strengthen how companies identify, attract and retain skilled professionals by expanding visibility beyond traditional industry circles and established networks. In specialist sectors such as lubricants, recruitment often depends heavily on existing relationships and familiar industry pathways. While those networks remain valuable, they can also unintentionally narrow access to talent.
In practice, companies may overlook highly capable professionals simply because they pursued professionals from the same circles rather than exploring adjacent or less visible talent markets.
The Real Problem May Be the Talent Pipeline
When lubricant professionals taking part in the survey were asked about the biggest obstacles to advancing DEI, the most common answer was not internal resistance or lack of leadership buy-in. Instead; 41% identified “limited diversity in the candidate pipeline” as the most significant challenge.
This would suggest organizations are not necessarily rejecting diverse talent. The larger issue may be that the industry itself often fails to attract enough diverse talent in the first place.
One respondent captured this challenge bluntly by describing grease plants as “very low on the list for desirable places to work.” The comment reflects a broader visibility problem the lubricants industry has wrestled with for years.
Outside the sector, many younger professionals have little understanding of what lubricant companies actually do, the technical sophistication involved or the scale of international career opportunities available. At the same time, younger generations increasingly evaluate employers through a wider lens that includes leadership quality, progression opportunities, flexibility and workplace culture and inclusion.
This creates a growing disconnect.
The industry needs technically capable people more than ever. Yet potential candidates rarely consider lubricants as a career destination.
Leadership Emerges as a Defining Factor
Despite relatively slow organizational DEI progress, most survey respondents described their personal workplace experience positively. Fifty six percent said they feel fully included and valued, while a further 24% reported feeling mostly included.
A closer look at the data highlights inclusion is often being shaped more by individual leaders and local team cultures than by consistent organizational systems.
In many cases, professionals feel included because managers create supportive environments around them. That works well while strong leaders remain in place. The challenge appears when leadership changes or employees move between departments or business units.
Without transparent progression pathways, consistent leadership development, and fair promotion processes, the workplace culture can end up feeling completely different depending on the team, department or region.
Leadership, therefore, emerges as one of the report’s most important themes.
Among the 53% of respondents who believe further progress on DEI is still needed, the strongest priorities were highly practical rather than symbolic. Visible commitment from senior leadership ranked near the top, alongside equitable progression opportunities, mentorship and greater accountability. The findings also suggest relatively little interest in performative initiatives or corporate messaging disconnected from the day-to-day workplace reality.
Lubricant industry professionals are not asking for slogans. They want action, fairness, transparency, stronger leadership and better access to opportunity.
Workplace Experience
The report also explores how workplace experiences vary across different groups within the industry.
58% of respondents reported no negative experiences at all and described their workplaces as supportive, fair and inclusive. However, 33% said their background had affected their career progression or sense of belonging, while a further 9% preferred not to share their experiences.
Some female respondents spoke about challenges around promotion, representation and credibility in heavily male-dominated environments. International professionals raised concerns about nationality bias and limited access to leadership opportunities. LGBTQ+ respondents also described being more cautious about visibility and self-expression in certain regions or customer-facing roles.
That complexity reinforces the idea that the industry cannot be reduced to simple narratives around DEI being entirely successful or entirely unnecessary. Experiences differ widely depending on geography, company culture, leadership and role type.
A Competitive Talent Market
The lubricant industry is navigating a significant workforce transition while simultaneously redefining what competitiveness looks like in the modern talent market.
The next generation of technical and commercial professionals entering the engineering and manufacturing sector are diverse, global and values conscious. Research referenced within the report also highlights how younger professionals increasingly evaluate inclusion and company culture when choosing employers to work for.
Meanwhile, competition for specialist talent continues to intensify across adjacent sectors, including energy, chemicals, advanced manufacturing and sustainability-focused industries.
Lubricant companies are operating in a labor market that has fundamentally changed and faces significant competition for talent acquisition.
The Big Question Facing the Industry
Long-term success is likely to depend on an organization’s ability to build strong cultures, widen access to talent, develop people effectively and create workplaces where skilled professionals genuinely want to stay and grow.
That is ultimately where the DEI report becomes most valuable.
Rather than treating DEI as a standalone ideological issue, it reframes the discussion that delivers growth with workforce sustainability, leadership quality, talent attraction and retention. Whether organizations embrace the language of DEI or remain skeptical of it, the workforce and growth performance pressures driving the conversation should not be ignored.
Download a free copy of the report at www.abnresource.com/DEIreport.
Ewa Ozga is marketing manager of ABN Resource, a Leeds, United Kingdom, talent recruitment firm focused on the global lubricants industry.