Today, as we increasingly witness the pervasive impacts of climate change across all aspects of life, reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life-cycle management of lubricants and packaging—and thereby lowering the Carbon Footprint (CF)—has become an undeniable obligation for our industry. At the same time, as the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict continues, the current geopolitical and economic environment is making every drop of lubricant and every package—essentially every hydrocarbon-based raw material—more financially valuable. As a result, the dynamics of both the lubricant economy and the packaging economy, particularly plastics, have already begun to change and will continue to do so. In this transformation, our industry’s responsibility is not only to reduce the Carbon Footprint (CF) of lubricants but also to increase their Carbon Handprint (CH)—the positive environmental impact they create.
Wherever lubricants are used, there is embedded carbon within products, services, and manufacturing processes. As supply chains increasingly demand lubricants with higher Carbon Handprints, the importance of sustainability management among manufacturers will continue to grow as a strategic priority driven by customer expectations. Market developments clearly point in this direction.
A high-CH lubricant means reducing the environmental cost of products to the planet. Today, the U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz crisis are increasing the financial cost of lubricants. Record increases in base oil prices have led to supply shortages. Failed ceasefire negotiations, violations, and ongoing conflicts are disrupting maritime trade and weakening global supply chains: https://lubricant-world.com/the-two-painful-realities-of-war-and-lubricants/?lang=en
Increasing the CH means creating positive impact and value by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through climate technologies—in other words, decarbonization. With the primary support of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, we successfully hosted the 11th Istanbul Carbon Summit, themed “Decarbonization, Carbon Markets and Climate Technologies,” at the certified green campus of Istanbul Technical University (ITU). Organized in compliance with the requirements of Türkiye’s first and only ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management System certification and conducted as a Carbon Neutral event in partnership with ST Climate, the summit achieved strong stakeholder participation in support of increasing Carbon Handprints. While extending my sincere thanks to the academic, business, public, media, and civil society stakeholders of our summit, which received media support from our Lubricant World magazine, I once again congratulate the 19 achievements we have recognized as the SÜT-D 2026 Low Carbon Heroes, and the Beşiktaş Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) Independent Carbon Team as the SÜT-D 2026 Small Carbon Hero.
During the summit, we had the opportunity to listen to and applaud the Carbon Handprint enhancement strategies of organizations such as AKSA Natural Gas, ATP GreenX, ESCON Energy, ETİ Copper, İTHİB, KÜAD, LC Waikiki, ROSATOM, and SOCAR Türkiye, all of which recognize the important role lubricants play in the carbon management of their products and services. The summit gained additional significance ahead of COP31, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which Türkiye will host. Alongside developments such as the Green Transformation Certificate for Industry (SYDB), the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the event provided valuable insight into the future of low-carbon transformation. May our country’s Carbon Handprint continue to grow at COP31. The Summit Report and Presentation E-Book will soon be available on the summit and SÜT-D websites. By the time we gather again in 2027, our Carbon Handprint will be even greater. The work has already begun.
