Rhenus Lub increases proportion of reconditioned drums to over 50%

The reconditioned drums used by Rhenus Lub can be reused up to 10 times

Committed to greater sustainability in recent years, Germany-based Rhenus Lub, a producer of metalworking fluids, has steadily increased the proportion of reusable or recyclable transport containers for its products. The lubricant manufacturer often packages metalworking fluids and lubricating greases in reconditioned drums that can be re-used up to 10-times. Now, it has succeeded in consistently raising the proportion of this environmentally-friendly steel packaging to more than 50% for the first time.

Requiring almost 40,000 drums per year, the company has steadily increased the proportion of re-usable reconditioned drums which are filled with product, delivered to customers and then collected by a specialised service provider once used. This service provider washes the drums, beats them out, paints them to customer specifications, and checks that they are leak-tight.

Since metalworking fluids can be classified as hazardous materials, reconditioned drums approved according to the UN standard are subject to stringent safety requirements as part of a comprehensive regulatory framework that is intended to facilitate international transport while also ensuring consistent safety. Rhenus Lub therefore only uses top-quality drums, whose life cycle concludes with a process of metal recycling.

Rhenus Lub procures its reconditioned drums exclusively within a 250km radius of Mönchengladbach in order to further reduce its corporate carbon footprint. Given that this environmentally friendly packaging is produced and reconditioned in the region, and thanks to its re-usability and subsequent recyclability, it contributes to a circular economy that is beneficial not only to Rhenus Lub and its customers but also to the environment. The company is actively working to further increase the proportion of reusable packaging.

Environment-friendly solutions
When it comes to plastic packaging, the manufacturer is also making greater use of even more environment-friendly solutions. Recycled plastic materials represent a key step towards a more sustainable way of doing business. Their use in the production of packaging reduces demand for new plastic and therefore has a positive impact on resource consumption and the environment.

In the future, at Rhenus Lub, plastic packaging made from recycled plastic materials will primarily be used in the form of post-consumer recycled (PCR) cartridges, intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and blow-moulded packaging made from partially recycled plastic materials in a wide range of sizes.

Rhenus Lub’s aim is to bring the proportion of recycled plastic materials per unit up to more than 30%, thereby exceeding the proportion of over 25% required for the EU Ecolabel. Rhenus Lub assumes that packaging with the EU Ecolabel and/or UN approval will be commercially available this year.

Michael Bartsch, head of procurement at Rhenus Lub, said: “We have championed environmental and climate protection, as well as a sustainable way of doing business, for years. Within this context, we are committed to numerous projects along the entire value chain — right through to the packaging of our products. By using reusable reconditioned drums and recycled plastics, we make a key contribution to sustainability efforts.”