Shell Lubricants was named Supplier
of the Year for Sustainability by
Wal
mart at the company's annual Supplier Summit
held in Orlando, Fla., in March for the development
and utilization of the
Ecobox™ system, which offers
environmental benefits through its approach to
packaging motor oil.
This innovative packaging system delivered
significant results by helping reduce plastic and
oil from the waste stream and improve speed in the
retail giant’s Tire & Lube Express (TLEs)
locations.
Walmart operates 2,500 TLE quick-lube facilities in
the U.S. Without the Ecobox system, Walmart TLEs
would have had to discard millions of plastic quart
bottles, which would have ended up in landfills.
In addition, the Ecobox carton is designed to leave
minimal residual oil behind, so use of Ecobox
cartons helped prevent a significant amount of
residual oil from the bottles from being thrown
away.
“We are proud to be honored by our largest customer
for the significant efforts that went into
developing the Ecobox system,” said Jim McCormick,
senior vice president, retail sales North America
for Shell Lubricants. “We are excited
to have brought to market this packaging and
dispensing system that demonstrates how products
with environmental benefits can also be good for
business.”
The Ecobox system is an innovative approach to
packaging motor oil developed by Shell Lubricants.
Instead of using conventional plastic bottles, the
Ecobox carton houses oil in a flexible plastic
liner encased in cardboard. It has been attracting
interest among North America’s auto service center
owners for its practical and environmental
benefits; it is designed to simplify transport and
storage, leave less residual oil behind in the
container, minimize spills and reduce waste. The
Ecobox plastic liner generates 89 percent less
plastic land-fill waste than the equivalent 24
quart plastic bottles, as the carton is fully
recyclable.
Since its trial in around 200 Walmart sites in
2009, the Ecobox system has been taken up at more
than 3,600 vehicle service centers in the USA and
Canada. High demand prompted a multi-million
dollar investment by Shell Lubricants in the first
Ecobox production line at the Congo Lubes Plant in
West Virginia. The plant also uses
environmentally-responsible processes in its Ecobox
carton production such as reusable materials,
energy-efficient lighting, and innovative,
automated optical systems that help prevent oil
leaks.
The Ecobox system is part of Shell Oil Company’s
smarter mobility approach to developing innovations
for cleaner and more efficient transport of people
and goods. For more information on Shell’s smarter
mobility, visit www.shell.com/smartermobility.
