Questionnaire for workshop participants - EU Ecolabel Marketing for ...

are seldom adequate for the purposes of the product evaluation against the EU Ecolabel
criteria. The information provided on MSDS (if available) is helpful but generally not
enough. Often IVAM was faced with the fact that there is a lack of data on additives
although the additives suppliers are supportive of the EU Ecolabel Lubricants they are
reluctant to disclose confidential information. Creative solutions are needed to surpass
this problem.
Additives are used in different combinations for the formulation of various lubricant
products. This means that when different lubricant suppliers wish to apply for the
Ecolabel a single additive producer may have to provide the data for a single additive to
(theoretically many) different authorities. As explained in the final report “Acquisition for
the EU Ecolabel for products” of 2005 the slow market penetration of the EU Ecolabel
lubricants is partly due to the fact that additives producers consider the information
required for the award of the European Ecolabel as confidential business information and
do not want to have this information spread in different competent authorities all over
Europe.
Additive suppliers seem to be willing to cooperate towards a central database of officially
approved additives. In the field of environmental friendly lubricants 5 major additive
suppliers were identified:
1. Ciba Specialty Chemicals plc
2. Lubrizol
3. Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH
4. RohMax
5. AftonChemicals
Efforts have been made to reach out to those companies and ensure their active
cooperation and assistance.
� (5b) Contacts and consultancy for additive suppliers and
other companies
Following the above activity (at 5a), IVAM got in contact with several companies on
product innovations about the possible qualification of the full product formulation and/or
of the individual components (base oils or additives) of their products for the EU Ecolabel
(evaluation was largely based on the information provided by the companies and was
complemented with desk research; no additional tests were done):
� Ciba: 6 additives were screened, which met the EU Ecolabel
requirements and could to a certain weight percentage be used in
product formulations.
� Lubrizol: 2 additive packages were screened, but due to the lack
of data provided no statement could yet be made on compatibility
with EU Ecolabel requirements
� Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH: 6 additives were screened, of
which 1 met the EU Ecolabel requirements (and could be allowed
to a certain weight percentage in product formulations); the
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