Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

Yes and no. The answer no has to do with the fact that most of what sustains your lifestyle depends on having working lubricants. Your clothes are an example. Did you know that oil is needed to produce clothes? The spinning machines and needles need oil to reduce friction and work perfectly. You can't even light a light bulb without lubricants involved. When you take a trip on an electrified train, oil and grease are used in transformers and ball bearings. Oil is also used for the production of plastic which is found in many different products. So oil does not die with the switch to electric cars. But the need is changing.

It is not greenwashing that oil consumption per capita in the EU has decreased due to innovations and technological development of more advanced oils that reduce consumption. Nor that new formulations of motor oils reduce fuel consumption by 1-3% in cars and trucks. This leads to reduced CO2 emissions and lower fuel costs.

At the same time, oil is a fossil material that is not renewable. That in itself is a problem because the supply will decrease over time where many sources have already passed their peak. The other problem with our dependence on coal-based fuels is the increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) which in turn have a direct link to the increase in the temperature of our planet and the climate. Even though the EU has set an ambitious roadmap for the change where, for example, combustion engines are banned from 2035 and where the continent is to become "carbon neutral" by 2050, many believe that the change is going too slowly in relation to the goals.

VÅRT LIVSCYKELSYNSÄTT

What is sustainable development and what is the responsibility
of the oil companies?

Many consumers have the same view of the oil industry as they do of the tobacco industry - that it is a dirty industry that is now trying to become greener in the public eye, but that they bear responsibility for the results of their products. Especially when they tried to cover up how people and the environment are negatively affected or how they try to stop political regulations and laws via lobbyists. Looking back, the oil industry and the car industry have not only opposed changes in the environmental field - the industry has known for decades how the climate will be negatively affected by greenhouse gases such as CO2 via the transport sector's burning of fuel and use of lubricants.

See the attached article in PDF and the films on SVT Play here (Swedish):

Excerpt from the United States' former Vice President Al Gore: En obekväm sanning

German documentary from 2017: Den stora klimatskandalen

American documentary serie from 2022: Raffinerade lögner

The climate bomb from 2022: Uppdrag granskning - Klimatbomben 2022

Vetenskapens Värld: Slaget om skogen

VÅRT LIVSCYKELSYNSÄTT

What does the EU's roadmap for sustainable development look like?

Europe including Norway, Iceland and Switzerland shall become a "climate neutral" continent in 2050
with "net zero greenhouse gas emissions" (GHG).

This shall be accomplished by:

That the system for emission rights be expanded.
That a CO2 regulation mechanism (CBAM) is introduced for the import of goods via EU borders.
That renewable energy production including nuclear power accounts for 40% in 2030.
That energy efficiency increases from 32.5% to 39% (+1.5% per year).
That the reduction target for CO2 is set to 100% in 2035, which means, among other things, that no new internal combustion engines may be sold after 2035 within the EU.

VÅRT LIVSCYKELSYNSÄTT

How should EU guide and drive development towards these goals?

Here are three examples:

1: All flights departing from the EU (including airlines outside the EU) must use SAF fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel).

2: All larger ships arriving at an EU port must use fuel that reduces GHGs by 70%.

3: New EU directive for the infrastructure of fuels in the EU:
Electric charging stations: Max 60 km between each station along major roads by 2026.
Hydrogen stations: Max 200 km between each station by 2028.
Methane gas stations (LPG & CNG – fuels for vehicles with gas engines): Expansion of the network by 2030.

Concise statistics for greenhouse gases (GHG): 77% arise via the energy sector, 11% agriculture, 9% industrial processes and 3% waste management. The transport sector as a single category accounts for 25% of total GHG emissions.

Read more on EUs webpage: Climate strategies and targets

Traditional work and benefit with sustainable solutions at Midland today:

Midland was the first oil brand in Sweden to start regenerating waste oil. Already at the start of our company in 2004, we decided to earmark all waste oil from our workshops for re-generation into new base oils instead of burning them as fuel for the production of cement. The competitors were quick to criticize us, but we defended ourselves with the idea that you as a consumer are smart enough to understand and draw your own conclusions about what is good or bad environmental work. Today, we also regenerate glycol and brake fluid residues and oil filters into new fractions that can be used in the production of these products again. The quality level for regeneration is high, but today not at such a level that the raw materials can be used in the production of new products at Midland. This is due, among other things, to the fact that regenerated base oil usually does not have the approvals required when formulating new oils with standards from ACEA, API and/or OEM. However, these base oils are used successfully in the production of, for example, hydraulic oils.

Recycling of packaging: Midland is part of the national recycling organization FTI, which means, among other things, that Midland as a producer/importer pays for the collection of corrugated cardboard, plastic and tin packaging.
Biodegradable products such as hydraulic oil and lubricating grease with approval.

Transport: Midland's import of oils from production in Switzerland goes to 100% on combo rail, i.e. trailer loaded on rail. For the last route of transportation from continental Europe we load the trailer by ferry from Kiel to Gothenburg. The combo rail transport save CO2 emissions compared to traditional truck transport by road.

VÅRT LIVSCYKELSYNSÄTT

Innovation and development of energy-efficient oils with special approvals that reduce fuel consumption, for example ACEA A5 or
API SP/ ILSAC GF-6A.

Extended service intervals with more advanced oils and synthetic base oils reduce lubricant consumption in engines, gearboxes and axles.

Tribology is the study of friction, wear and lubrication. Lubricants deliver reduced friction and reduced wear, which is why with this work they positively affect the environment because energy losses are reduced with reduced friction. Preventive maintenance means that replacement intervals are maximized with a good technical margin for future breakdowns of machine parts. This results in reduced consumption of lubricants and machine parts.

Multi-grade oils that can be used all year round, unlike single-grade oils that were used more in the past. With multigrade oils such as SAE 5W-30, the vehicle owner can drive on the same oil all year round. The industrial sector still largely uses single grade hydraulic oils due to lower price.

OUR LIFE CYCLE APPROACH

We were the first oil brand in Sweden to introduce the life cycle approach in 2004 through the recycling of used oils. They become new base oils as a sustainable resource alternative to combustion. We believe our life cycle approach helps conserve our finite natural resources.

We hope to influence the industry to take the step towards a more sustainable development when it comes to recycling oils. You as a car owner and car workshop can make an active choice for the recycling of used motor oils by choosing service with Midland recycling certification. Your waste oil is then earmarked for recycling in Europe and it costs you nothing extra.

We understand that the production and use of lubricants is a strain on the earth's resources and that the use of lubricants together with fuel in vehicles poses a threat to our climate and society. Therefore, we have a special responsibility to act and influence in a way that accelerates recycling and the life cycle approach as opposed to the industry's mechanical approach to waste (incineration).

With our partner Ragn-Sells we can order a workshop-unique report for how climate-smart the workshop is - number of kilos of CO2 the workshop reduces emissions by via re-generation of waste oil compared to traditional combustion.

Workshops with Midland environmental agreements can receive an environmental report summarizing all collections, waste fractions, weights, as well as who collected and where the waste was treated. A good report that facilitates the workshop's contact with the municipality's Environment & Health while saving a lot of time on compilation.

WASTE OIL COLLECTION

Producer responsibility

The regulations for producer responsibility have been added to create an environmentally sustainable society for the future. The producers are obliged to take care of the goods even after the consumer's final use. Users such as retailers, shops and workshops are also counted as producers.

Since there is no deposit system (compare glass, batteries and tires), collection and the recycling stations for consumers need to be financed by the producers. This happens, for example, because Midland is a connected company to the FTI/REPA packaging collection and pays for the material law. The charge is calculated in relation to the weights per type of waste that are imported, manufactured and sold per year. For hazardous waste (waste oil, oil filters, glycol and brake fluid residues), since the start in 2004, Midland has applied a voluntary producer responsibility where collection of waste oil is free of charge for Midland's workshop customers.