From sustainability strategy to engineering practice
By Dr. Selim Erhan, TLT Editor | TLT From the Editor May 2026
In the global lubricants industry, sustainability is no longer limited to corporate strategy or regulatory discussions.
Dear colleagues, we are very close to the STLE Annual Meeting: Innovating Through Tribology & Lubrication, May 17-21 in New Orleans, La. It has always been an exciting time for me. I think we all realized how important face-to-face contacts were after the shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wish a fruitful conference for all.
The importance of sustainability is becoming more obvious, and it is comforting to see global participation. As they say, half the work is just to start, and we have progressed quite well after the initial start a few years ago. As I am not an expert, I consulted my friend and colleague, STLE member Inga Hermann with Ergon International Inc., and member of the STLE Sustainability Committee, for an update. Her comments are in this article, and she will also be available during the STLE Annual Meeting if anyone has further questions.
In the global lubricants industry, sustainability is no longer limited to corporate strategy or regulatory discussions. Product carbon footprints (PCFs), lifecycle data and substantiated performance claims are increasingly becoming part of everyday technical conversations with customers, OEMs and supply chain partners.
While Europe has been an early driver of formal carbon reporting, similar expectations are now emerging worldwide. Large industrial customers, multinational OEMs and global supply chains are asking lubricant suppliers to provide credible, traceable environmental data alongside traditional technical specifications.
This shift is less about policy interpretation and more about how environmental performance is calculated, documented and communicated. For lubrication professionals, PCFs are becoming a technical dataset that must meet the same standards of rigor as formulation design, performance testing and quality control.
Key takeaways for lubrication engineers are:
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Carbon footprints are becoming engineering data. PCFs must be handled with the same rigor as formulation parameters, including clear system boundaries, assumptions and traceable data sources.
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Upstream emissions dominate lubricant PCFs. For most lubricants, the majority of lifecycle emissions occur before blending, driven by crude sourcing, base oil production and additives.
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Generic averages are not enough. Credible PCF assessments require supply chain specific upstream data; technology labels or global averages do not reflect real emission variability.
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Footprint and handprint must remain separate. PCFs quantify lifecycle emissions, while handprints describe avoided emissions during use; they serve different purposes and should not be offset against each other.
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Data readiness is becoming a competitive factor. Structured, machine readable environmental data is increasingly expected, shifting sustainability from reporting to data architecture management.
Overall, net zero implementation in lubricants is no longer primarily a communications or policy issue. It is a technical and engineering challenge, driven by data quality, methodological clarity and system boundaries.
Upstream emissions dominate lubricant carbon footprints, making supply chain specific data essential. At the same time, lubricants deliver significant climate benefits during use, which must be quantified separately and credibly.
As sustainability requirements become more detailed and more digital, lubricant companies that treat environmental data with the same rigor as formulation design and performance testing will be best positioned to compete in an increasingly data driven global market.
Make sure to check out the sustainability in motion track at the STLE Annual Meeting. For more information, visit
www.stle.org/annualmeeting.
Dr. Selim Erhan is president of Erbur Solutions in Trout Valley, Ill. You can reach him at selim.erhan@outlook.com.