ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Developing solutions you can rely on calls for rigorous testing so you can be confident our products can help safeguard the future of the marine environment
We recognise that environmental claims for products can be misleading – such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘food grade’, or ‘biodegradable oils’. It is important to ask the right questions to ensure product claims are backed up with appropriate scientific data. You need to be confident that your choice of products meets their claims. That’s why our experts conduct thorough testing in conditions that mimic the marine environment – not freshwater or soil conditions.
In addition, toxicity (on all four marine organisms), biodegradation and marine bioaccumulation data must be considered for every discrete chemical component of a product, regardless of the level present. This ensures that high biodegradability and/or low bioaccumulation performance of a product does not disguise the presence of low levels of chemicals having very poor environmental performance (e.g. lubricant additives may have a strong potential to be toxic and bioaccumulate).
We analyse this data to make sure the true environmental performance of the product is clear. Only then do we feel confident in recommending it to you.
Developing marine solutions is as important to us as helping you to improve operational performance and reduce costs. For us, safeguarding the future of the marine industry is vital.
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Lubricants consist of blends of base oils and additives, each with its own distinct chemical behaviour. The key aspects regarding the environmental impact of chemicals released into the sea can be broadly divided into three categories:
- Marine toxicity: the potential for a chemical to kill or harm marine life
- Marine biodegradation: how quickly the chemical is going to break down naturally in the sea
- Bioaccumulation: the potential for a chemical to accumulate in the fatty tissues of organisms, and so enter the food chain
Typical Environmental test
- OECD 306 - Biodegradability in SEA WATER
- ASTM 5864 - Biodegradation of lubricants in fresh water
- CEC L-33-A-94 - Biodegradability of two stroke cycle outboard engine oils in fresh water. Test method no longer available
- OECD 301B - Ready biodegradability in fresh water (modified Sturm test)
- OECD 201 - Toxicity to fresh water algae
- OECD 202 - Toxicity to fresh water copepods
- OECD 203 - Toxicity to fresh water fish
- OECD 203 / PARCOM 1995 - Toxicity to MARINE fish (Scophthalmus maximus)
- ISO 10253 - Toxicity to MARINE algae (Skeletonema costatum)
- ISO 14669 - Toxicity to MARINE algae (Skeletonema costatum)
- PARCOM 1995 - Toxicity to sediment reworkers (Corophium volutator)
- OECD 117 - Bioaccumulation potential - build-up of organic chemicals in fatty tissues in organisms
- OECD 107 - Bioaccumulation potential - build-up of organic chemicals in fatty tissues in organisms
