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10/03/22

Rising to the Challenge: GB Lubricants Prioritises Sustainability to Ensure a Positive and Prosperous Future

Quality and integrity are at the core of everything GB Lubricants does and aspires to do. As a respected and long-established independent manufacturer of lubricants, the company recognises that its vision to exceed the demands placed upon it by a diverse and growing global customer base comes with a responsibility to minimise its impact on the environment. By taking action now, GB Lubricants continues its mission to ensure a positive and prosperous future for the industry, and for the planet. “We all have a part to play in this,” says Paul Booth, GB Lubricants’ Managing Director.

As sponsors of the United Kingdom Lubricants Association’s (UKLA), 2022 Sustainability Conference, which will address the impact and implications of “Putting Sustainability First” on the lubricants industry and its supply chains, GB Lubricants hopes that by sharing its own successful progress and experiences, it can play an active part in a sustainable approach for the lubricants sector and encourage collective action. Gaining insight on the latest strategies will also enable GB Lubricants to explore new ways in which the effectiveness of its current processes and procedures could be improved in order to fulfil its sustainability pledge. 

“It will be a timely forum for stakeholders within the sector to discuss aspects of sustainability and future strategy,” says Paul, a UKLA Board Member and Treasurer. “Businesses need to be flexible and forward-thinking, we stepped up our engagement with this subject soon after my arrival at GB Lubricants in 2016 and I want to engage with other delegates to share ideas on common challenges. The UKLA sits in a privileged position because it can help set the framework of future strategy that its members can follow. Our members have also had an active role at a European level as part of the Union of the European Lubricants Industry (UEIL) Sustainability Team and GB Lubricants has welcomed this initiative and been proud to be a part of it so far via the UKLA. I hope the legacy of this conference will be that it further empowers a cohort of like-minded people who wish to navigate the challenges this sector faces together.”

Paul believes that the transition from traditional hydrocarbon fuelled internal combustion engines to alternative forms of drive presents the sector with an opportunity to spearhead sustainable solutions as new technologies emerge. He adds: “The importance of forward-thinking research and development to incorporate the most sustainable additive formulations which can crucially achieve full OEM approvals is key for the lubricants sector in the next 10 years. We are already seeing signs of this coming through, however, there is a need for continued investment to accelerate these approvals and ensure more sustainable technology available to the market.”

The key to being able to communicate the company’s commitment to sustainability – which includes reducing carbon footprint and particulate emissions, producing cleaner air through greater fuel economy and promoting the use of biodegradable oils from sustainable sources – is that it can be backed up with evidence. 

“GB Lubricants has always maintained a strong focus on the wider environment, the business considers not only profit but also people and the planet,” explains Emma Lynn, Health & Safety and Business Systems Manager. “As such, the company has actively reduced its environmental footprint. It is imperative that we continue to drive improvements through systems and processes; and also promote awareness of the importance of sustainability programmes and strategy within our teams.”

The company operates to numerous ISO standards, but it was in 2003 that GB Lubricants first gained ISO 14001 accreditation. As a result, a defined EMS (Environmental Management System) is in place that ensures effective practices such as recycling, waste management, spill containment and reduction in pollution are embedded into everyday ways of working. 

“In 2019, we integrated ISO 50001 (Energy Management) into our existing Management System. This means that we continuously review and conserve our energy consumption, make efficiency improvements in our production processes and ensure that our products meet or exceed industry and OEM specifications and performance requirements,” explains Emma. “We have exceeded our ISO 50001 targets against baseline 2018 figures year on year for the last 3 years and our company EnPI for ‘Total Production Units per kWh consumed’ was recorded as 115% of our 2021 target and a huge 126% against 2018 baseline.”

In addition to this, in 2021, GB Lubricants retained the EcoVadis Gold Award for Sustainability and Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR), with a 6% increase in the company’s overall score. Held by the company since 2019, the certification places the business within the top five percent of all companies evaluated worldwide. “To achieve this, we have to show that we are making continual improvements, so its significance can’t be taken for granted,” explains Paul. “GB Lubricants identified the need to be externally audited and certified for sustainability and CSR back in 2016 in order to benchmark our performance and help set strategy. We started by gaining accreditation to the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) sustainability standard and then successfully upgraded to the global EcoVadis award we have now. We look at where we can invest in medium and long-term changes, which is exactly as it should be.”

With sales of the GB Lubricants biodegradable products growing year on year for more than five years, the company is proud to support consumers, particularly in the plant and off-highway sector where end users are working in sensitive areas and near water courses, who are also working hard to enhance their green credentials. Paul adds: “The sophistication of the formulations we are manufacturing to match the increasingly higher levels of performance demanded by our customers is a major trend and it’s been rewarding to be successful in achieving this.”

As a global business that has been based in the same town for 145 years, GB Lubricants knows how important it is to take care of what’s on your doorstep, as well as what’s further afield.
https://www.ukla.org.uk/event/sustainability-conference-2022/

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