INDIA – Industrial and automotive lubricants firm Castrol India has rolled out its new sustainable packaging for its premium engine oil brand, Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE.
Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE will now be packed in a 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) bottle made from reprocessed plastic waste instead of virgin plastic.
Castrol said that the use of PCR plastic reduces plastic waste, decreases carbon emissions, and helps to achieve a more circular economy.
The latest move is part of the firm’s global PATH360 aim to reduce its plastic footprint by half by 2030.
Castrol’s PATH360 program is said to concentrate on three areas: decreasing waste, cutting carbon emissions, and enhancing people’s lives. Its overall goal is to assist Castrol in becoming net-zero by 2050 or earlier.
The new more environmentally friendly packs will soon start to be seen on the shelves and won’t cost consumers any extra money.
Castrol India Managing Director Sandeep Sangwan said: “Plastic waste management is an important aspect of Castrol’s sustainability roadmap for India.
“In 2021, we introduced new lightweight bottle designs for our medium packs (3 to 5 liters) that reduced our plastic use on average by 20% per bottle.
“These new Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE bottles are our next step on Castrol India’s journey to reduce the use of virgin plastic, we believe that they are the first 100% PCR plastic lubricant bottles in India.”
Sangwan added: “As part of our Extended Producer Responsibility, we are also working with key stakeholders with the aim of collecting, reusing, and recycling all the plastic we place on the market.
“As the technology and supply chains for recycled packaging evolve, we plan to continue exploring innovations in more sustainable packaging for more Castrol products.”
The company also works in sectors like high-performance lubricants and metalworking fluids used in industries such as automotive manufacturing, mining, machinery, and wind energy.
Castrol India joins South Korean lube manufacturer, SK Lubricants which also expanded the use of “eco-friendly” recycled plastic containers for its lubricant products in 2021.
A subsidiary of SK Innovation, SK Lubricants started using recycled containers for its flagship products, which account for 30% of its total lubricant volume sales.
After launching the ZIC ZERO line in recycled containers for a year, SK Lubricants said that customer acceptance of eco-friendly packaging showed encouraging results.
Thus, the company’s decision to expand the use of recycled plastic bottles to more product lines.
For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.