ANN ARBOR, Mich., USA and TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Quebec, Canada (February 25, 2013) – Bio-Lub Canada Inc., developer of antifriction treatments and solutions for the ecological and biodegradable degreasing industry, has earned the first CarbonFree® certification in the industry for its bio-hydraulic fluid from Carbonfund.org and NSF Sustainability, a division of global independent public health organization NSF International. As a result, industries that utilize hydraulic processes (automobile, construction machinery, excavation, farming, forestry and others) now have access to an environmentally-friendly, carbon-neutral ISO 46 hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic systems play an important role in our daily lives. Elevators, forklifts, commercial lawnmowers, garbage trucks, farming equipment, aircraft flight control systems and construction equipment such as loaders or bulldozers all use as much as 100 liters (26.4 gallons) of hydraulic fluid. Some loss to the environment is inevitable. With Bio-Lub biobased hydraulic fluid there will be little, if any, environmental impact. By earning CarbonFree® certification for its BLC 710 bio-hydraulic fluid (in 20-, 205- and 1000-liter packaging), Bio-Lub is helping environmentally conscious organizations reduce their carbon footprint and impact on the environment. The bio-hydraulic fluids are made from vegetable oils derived from a renewable source and are also USDA certified as 96 percent biobased under the BioPreferred® program.

To address its products’ environmental impacts, Bio-Lub Canada underwent a detailed life cycle assessment to measure the carbon emissions produced from its bio-hydraulic fluid products sold worldwide. To achieve carbon neutrality for the products, Bio-Lub offset the per-unit carbon footprint through investment in third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry carbon offset projects. These carbon offset projects are supported through the Carbonfund.org Foundation, a leading nonprofit and developer of the CarbonFree® Product Certification program, the first carbon neutral product label in North America.

“Using environmentally friendly ISO 46 bio-hydraulic fluids such as Bio-Lub’s is particularly important for sensitive environmental applications such as farming and marine dredging. By earning CarbonFree® certification, Bio-Lub is taking its commitment to the environment a step further through offsetting the greenhouse gasses made when producing and distributing the products,” said Tom Bruursema, NSF Sustainability General Manager.

“We at Bio-Lub are excited that our BLC-700 series is the first eco-friendly hydraulic fluid in our industry to be certified worldwide as CarbonFree® by NSF International and Carbonfund.org,” said Michel Cordeau, CEO of Bio-Lub Canada Inc. “Bio-Lub products are designed for superior performance and low environmental impact and Carbonfree® certification is just one more way to validate our commitment to environmentally preferred products.”

How the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program Works

The CarbonFree® Product Certification program uses life cycle assessments (LCAs) to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over a product’s entire life cycle. GHG emissions (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents) that cannot be reduced or eliminated from the product’s life cycle are offset or ‘neutralized’ with third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry carbon offset projects.

A carbon offset is a verifiable reduction in carbon emissions somewhere in the world other than where the emission is generated. These external reductions offer clean energy transformation (e.g. wind, solar), sequestration (e.g. forestry) and clean technology (e.g. energy efficiency). The projects also offer a range of benefits including conservation, clean water, job creation and innovation. Credits are generated when a project is verified and registered – allowing companies to purchase these credits and offset the emissions produced in the manufacturing and use of their products. These credits are then permanently ‘retired’ on behalf of the product/company.

CarbonFree® certified products earn the use of the CarbonFree® mark along with being listed in the Carbonfund.org online product certification database. The CarbonFree® mark can be found on a variety of products today, including foods, beverages, electronics and apparel.

To learn more about the CarbonFree® certification, contact Dennis Gillan at sustainability@nsf.org or 734-476-2543, or visit Carbonfund.org and NSF International’s websites.