PATH360 Strategy
Castrol’s approach to sustainability is to take a 360 view, to seek to maximise our contribution to a more sustainable future, and our products and offers are core to that.
Our goal
Our goal is to become the lubricant, service, and maintenance sustainability partner of choice for our customers. Understanding ways we can potentially improve the environmental profile of our product range and improving its contribution in use, through performance, is key to achieving that.
Since 2014, Castrol has been conducting product carbon life-cycle assessments for an increasing number of products within our portfolio, by 2022 we had assessed them all.
We use the GHG Protocol’s Product Standard to quantify the life-cycle carbon emissions associated with a product from raw material extraction, transport, production emissions, packaging, use, and fate after use.
Castrol products emissions
To develop the PATH360 strategy, in 2020 Castrol worked with independent environmental consultants ERM to conduct our first assessment of its greenhouse gas inventory in line with the GHG Protocol’s corporate value chain standard covering scopes 1, 2 and 3. Together with our work on product carbon life-cycle assessments, this work enabled us to identify carbon reduction opportunities across the product life-cycle and to understand what we can do and where we need to work with our partners to influence change.
The infographic below shows the average Castrol product carbon footprint 2021 - (Scope 1, 2 + 3)
Emissions we can directly control or indirectly influence
Embodied or embedded carbon
Greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production and transportation of goods, from the extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing process and final delivery to the customer
Hardest to abate emissions
Carbon content
Greenhouse gas emissions generated by products based on their chemical makeup, application in use and end of use treatment
1. Raw material production emissions
production emissions of base oils and additives, from extraction to the supplier’s factory gate
2. Production (Blending & Filling)
production emissions from energy consumed at Castrol blend plants and 3P sites
3. Packaging
production Emissions of packaging materials (e.g., plastic, corrugate, steel) and the fabrication process (e.g., blow moulding, sheet rolling, welding)
4. Distribution emissions
emissions from moving goods across the value chain, from the supplier’s factory gate through delivery to the consumer
5. Losses in Use
emissions generated when the carbon content of a product is lost to the atmosphere (through combustion, evaporation or leakage) during its functional use or application
6. End of Use
emissions generated when the carbon content of a product is lost to the atmosphere with no secondary benefit (e.g., landfilled, incinerated without energy recovery or lost to the environment
Castrol's use of offsets
Carbon offsetting is a rapid way to compensate for carbon emissions while we work to bring them down.
Castrol’s operations (limited to scope 1 and 2 emissions**) have been verified as achieving carbon neutral status in accordance with PAS 2060 since 2021.
Since 2014, Castrol has been expanding its carbon neutral product offer so that by 2022 33% of volume sold were verified as carbon neutral in accordance with PAS 2060 which involved the retirement of 1.5mT of carbon credits.
For more information go to castrol.com/cneutral
Product sustainability
One way that we drive and track our progress towards our waste and carbon aims is through our PATH360 product sustainability assessment. This is our way of identifying our most sustainable products, those that contribute the most to supporting our customers to their sustainability goals like:
- Saving energy
- Saving waste
- Saving water and
- Reducing carbon emissions (via products designed to have lower lifecycle carbon emissions or certified as carbon neutral in accordance with PAS2060 – i.e. their carbon footprint has been calculated, a carbon reduction plan developed and their residual carbon emissions offset via the purchase and retirement of sufficient carbon credits from carbon reduction projects around the world).
Improve lives
Our third aim – to improve people's lives around the world ladders directly into the bp sustainability frame.
bp’s people aims provide focus and structure for the actions we take to improve people’s lives. They build on our strong social impact and risk management requirements, and on guidance in our operating management system. bp has published 5 “people” aims and Castrol is part of three of these:
- Sustainable livelihoods
- Greater Equity
- Enhance wellbeing
