49. Cabecera noticia presentación ASELUBE 2018
SIGAUS shares its focus on the Circular Economy at ASELUBE
The General Director of SIGAUS, Eduardo de Lecea, attended an educational event organised by the Spanish Lubricant Association (ASELUBE), which highlighted the Circular Economy model promoted by the Entity through the management of used industrial oil. The Extended Producer Responsibility, the dispersed generation of used oil, the capillary collection service offered by SIGAUS, or the prevention measures promoted together with the adhered companies, were some of the topics addressed during the discussion.
19-11-2018
24. Párrafo presentación ASELUBE 2018
The Spanish Lubricant Association (ASELUBE) celebrated an educational event in Madrid with the presence of representatives from the sector and companies that form part of ASELUBE. Eduardo de Lecea, the General Director of SIGAUS, gave a speech in which he analysed the mechanisms that make SIGAUS an essential actor in the management of used oils within Spain and in the current model of Circular Economy.
De Lecea began his speech by highlighting how the “disposable” economic model has reached its end, giving way to a new model where reduced waste and reuse will be key for growth. “In this context, there is no doubt that the management of waste, traditionally linked to environmental protection, is taking on a starring role not just in environmental but also in economic terms”, stated the General Director of SIGAUS. In this sense, he also mentioned how this contribution by waste management to the Circular Economy translates to applying what is known as the hierarchy principle, which prioritises actions of prevention for the generation of waste, including reuse, recycling and energy recovery, and making elimination of the same the last possible alternative.
Extended Producer Responsibility
Eduardo de Lecea also discussed how the issue created by a waste as hazardous as used oil can be most efficiently addressed by the Extended Producer Responsibility system, in accordance with which the lubricant manufacturers are responsible for financing and guaranteeing the collection and treatment of the waste generated by the products they sold, following the principle of “the polluter pays".
32. Párrafo-cita presentación ASELUBE 2018
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Only in 2017 SIGAUS management network served 17,000 producers in rural areas, 1,117 in high mountain areas and 3,757 within the perimeter of protected areas, as explained by Eduardo de Lecea in his speech.
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In this sense, SIGAUS assumes the legal responsibility on behalf of the adhered companies, creating an efficient system that, after 11 years, has permitted an investment of €200 million into protecting the environment, as mentioned by Eduardo de Lecea. “This investment, that has provided so many benefits for the environment, is achieved through a small contribution from each consumer: €0.30 each time the oil in a car is changed.”
Collection from every corner
Another of the topics addressed in the presentation was related to how, thanks to SIGAUS’ Information Technology System (ITS), there can be a log of exactly how and where used oil is generated in Spain, highlighting how this waste is produced in an extremely fragmented and dispersed manner, with over 80% of the used oil being generated in just 500 towns and the remaining 20% being collected in over 4,000 towns, sometimes requiring journeys of over 100 kilometers on average.
“The funding that SIGAUS provides to its network of almost 160 management companies allows us to collect the used oil from over 69,000 production establishments, ensuring a universal collection service with great capillarity, and to collect the waste where it is produced, even in areas close to protected natural areas, where the consequences of not managing this waste would be particularly negative”, said De Lecea. In 2017 alone, the SIGAUS management network attended 17,000 producers in rural areas, 1,117 in high mountain areas and 3,757 within the perimeter of protected areas.
24. Segundo párrafo presentación ASELUBE 2018
Closing the circle of waste management
Eduardo de Lecea also emphasized how SIGAUS closes the cycle of used oil management, submitting 100% of the waste collected to different treatments, which in 2017 permitted the return to market of 63,000 tonnes of lubricant bases produced from used oils, as well as 34,000 of fuel oil.
To conclude his presentation, the General Director of SIGAUS highlighted the important work on prevention that is undertaken within the Entity, which has allowed for the implementation of over 4,500 measures through the Business Prevention Plans, destined to achieving lubricants with greater duration, biodegradable oils, improvements in equipment or processes, or advanced microlubrication techniques in the industry.