Shell today announces that its Shell Rimula R6 series premium engine oils are now carbon neutral across all stages of their lifecycle. This announcement establishes Shell Rimula as not only the leading heavy-duty diesel engine oil (HDDEO) brand in key global markets, but also part of the carbon neutral solution for on-highway fleets and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This step forward for these premium products is central to Shell’s commitment to a lower-carbon future that aims to offset the annual emissions of more than 200 million litres of advanced synthetic lubricants, expecting to compensate approximately 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)* emissions per year — equivalent to taking more than 340,000 cars off the road for one year**.
Gavin Warner, General Manager Sustainability, Global Commercial at Shell, said: “We know our transport customers are looking for ways to reduce their net carbon footprint while continuing to grow their business. As a leading provider of heavy-duty diesel engine oils, we play an essential role in helping them achieve that goal. Our premium Shell Rimula portfolio already delivered improved engine performance and fuel efficiency; now, by being carbon neutral from raw material extraction to end-of-life, they also will help customers advance toward their carbon-reduction goals.”
Troy Chapman, Vice President of Global Marketing at Shell Lubricant Solutions, said: “Our customers face intense operational challenges as they navigate the road to recovery. The pandemic has pressured volumes and rates, demanding cost reductions. At the same time, customers are trying to reach ambitious climate goals. Shell are committed to helping our customers achieve both their commercial and carbon-reduction targets by enabling them go safely, go further, and get savings, sustainably.”
We all need to do what we can to avoid or reduce the emissions we produce. But, for emissions that are less avoidable, offsetting is an option. In this case, Shell’s global portfolio of nature-based carbon credits will compensate for the CO2e emissions from the lifecycle of these products, including the raw materials, packaging, production, distribution, customer use and product end of life. Shell supports projects which focus on protecting and restoring natural ecosystems that naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere every year while also improving biodiversity, protecting endangered species and supporting local communities.
Today’s announcement is a key step in Shell Lubricant Solutions’ multi-year strategy to help customers manage their sustainability needs by avoiding, reducing, and, when it is not possible to avoid or reduce, offsetting emissions. Since 2016, Shell has reduced the carbon intensity of its lubricants manufacturing by more than 30%***, and over 50% of the electricity used in its lubricant blending plants now comes from renewable sources. Shell is also reducing packaging waste from lubricant products at scale by increasing the use of recycled materials and exploring more sustainable packaging across its supply chains. Shell recognises that measures to avoid and reduce emissions will be essential to tackle emissions over the long term. But, until scalable solutions are deployed, carbon-offsetting programmes provide an immediate solution to reduce CO2e emissions across Shell’s portfolio and value chain.
* CO2e (CO2 equivalent) refers to CO2, CH4, N2O
** Actual emissions from driving are sensitive to underlying assumptions
*** Internal Shell analysis
