BRB launches low carbon footprint viscosity modifiers for the lubricant industry

Echt, Netherlands, 9 October 2025 – BRB Lube oil Additives & Chemicals, a leading global supplier of lubricant oil additives and specialty chemicals, today launched the new Viscotech^® Upcycled series, a low carbon footprint viscosity modifier solution, dissolved in high quality re-refined base oils (RRBO), as alternative to virgin base oils.

Viscosity modifiers formulated using recycled base oils are ready for introduction into the value chain as high-value products, currently used in automotive and industrial lubricants. They are drop in alternatives for standard Viscotech, with the only difference being that they contain re-refined base oil, reducing the product carbon footprint by approximately 60% cradle to gate, compared to using virgin base oil. Furthermore, it reduces around 0.1 kg of CO₂ emission per kg final oil formulation[1], thereby supporting end-users in the value chain to reduce their carbon footprint (scope 3 reduction). Using re-refined raw materials support the shift from virgin fossil dependence towards a circular economy.

“We are very excited to share the new Viscotech^® Upcycled series with the market. With high quality RRBO as a raw material in Viscotech^® viscosity modifiers, we deliver innovative formulations that meet stringent standards and exhibit performance in parity with modifier solutions based on virgin base oil,” says Roger Dohmen, Vice President of BRB Lube oil Additives & Chemicals. “For us, RRBOs are no longer a compromise, but a strategic enabler for products that contribute to a reduced carbon footprint, both for BRB and the value chains.”

As a subsidiary of Malaysia’s PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), BRB Lube oil Additives & Chemicals is now part of the Specialty Chemicals division of PCG. PCG Specialty Chemicals division has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the reductions required to keep global warming limited to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. With the new Viscotech^® Upcycled series, BRB is building on a sustainable specialty portfolio focusing on innovation and carbon reduction.

“Over the years, we’ve made continuous efforts and succeeded in specialty formulations with high-quality RRBO in our premium products, following a strategic shift towards solutions with lower carbon footprint. We’ invite our customers to explore our product offerings with reduced climate impact and collaborate with BRB as business partners on the journey toward circular economy and products with lower carbon footprint.” said Roger Dohmen, Vice President of BRB Lube oil Additives & Chemicals.

About Re-refined base oils (RRBO)

Rather than disposing waste oils, an increasing number of producers are collecting used oils and removing impurities through multi-step technological processes, thus extending their life cycle. This is the concept behind RRBO. RRBO offers an alternative to virgin raw materials without compromising quality. The interest in RRBO has been growing recently alongside the market trends towards reducing carbon footprints, protecting the environment and transitioning to a circular economy and production model.

Reader enquiries

BRB Lube oil Additives and Chemicals
Voltaweg 26 - 6101 XK Echt
P.O. Box 3552 NL - 6017 ZH Thorn
Netherlands

www.brb-international.com/lac

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