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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Waste oil becomes the new lubricating oil Ragn-Sells AB collects 40,000 tonnes/year of waste oil from different segments for disposing of their waste oil into circular solutions.

    Description
    Intro

    Ragn-Sells’s has taken a clear stance in contributing to making waste fractions circular, and, where possible, reintroducing the material into society.We have been working with regeneration of waste oil since 2005, and have influenced how it is disposed in Sweden.Our competitors offer the market energy recovery, through incineration at a lower cost, however informing our customers about the regeneration of waste oil, we have created a new market with number of deals. In our sales material we state clearly how we help reducing the extraction of virgin oils, and which SDGs our customers will be supported in reaching.

    Objective of the practice

    Each year, Ragn-Sells AB collects 40,000 tonnes of waste oil from workshops, industry, harbours and <br />
    other companies that require help disposing of their waste oil. <br />
    A combination of comprehensive expertise and modern technology mean that we can recycle waste oils into new lubricating oil (SDG 12.2, SDG 12.4, SDG 12.5, .<br />
    Through the regeneration of waste oil we can reduce CO2 emissions and the extraction of virgin oils, which is of great benefit for the planet. <br />
    In order to minimise our environmental impact, where possible we transport waste oil by <br />
    railway (SDG 11.2). <br />
    Ragn-Sells has also invested in an innovative Oil Recovery Center, where oil can be extracted from liquids and suspensions containing oil. This increases the recycling rate even more from all different fractions.<br />
    <br />
    Our practice of making waste oil part of a circular system, instead of sending it off for energy recovery, has won us a number of large contracts (SDG 12.6, SDG 12.8). <br />
    <br />
    In our sales materials we state which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) customers support by allowing us to take care of disposal of their waste.

    Partners
    The owners have actively decided that waste oil should be generated.
    Avista Oil AG, the disposal company in Germany that regenerates waste oil. https://www.avista-oil.de/en/

    Recond oil (Oil Recovery Center supplier) https://recondoil.com/ragn-sells-success/
    Society and its inhabitants. Work on influencing municipalities to increase the proportion of recycled materials in public procurements. https://www.ragnsells.se/inspireras/kommuner-dags-att-handla-hallbart/

    Customers that dispose of waste oil. Recovered primarily within car repair shops, industry and harbours. https://www.ragnsells.se/inspireras/mekonomen/
    Implementation of the Project/Activity

    Customer challenge:
    Mekonomen is ISO certified within environment, quality and
    work environment, and consequently places high demands on
    a recycling partner. The company handles a large quantity of
    hazardous waste and considers it be a matter of course that
    everything possible is recycled. What cannot be recycled should
    be disposed of in a way that minimises environmental impact.
    Mekonomen’s stores and partners - Mekonomen Bilverkstad,
    Meko Partner and Speedy - needed help with the disposal of large
    amounts of waste oil, oil filter maintenance, and oil separator
    inspection and emptying.

    Customer solution:
    Ragn-Sells offers Mekonomen a nationwide service and
    solution for all hazardous waste that their garages need;
    everything from collection to handling and documentation.
    We collect up to 3,000 tonnes of waste oil a year from
    Mekonomen’s garages across Sweden. We pick up the waste
    oil at Mekonomen’s garage, process it, and it is then sent to
    Germany where it is regenerated. It is then reintroduced into
    the system, becoming part of the circular flow.
    In addition to waste oil, Ragn-Sells also handles Mekonomen’s
    oil filters and delivers mobile environmental cabinets for the
    storage of hazardous waste.

    Certificates on the amount of regenerated oil is issued from Vista Oil AG.

    Results/Outputs/Impacts
    By regenerating waste oil we can reduce CO2 emission by 1-3 tons of CO2 per recycled ton of oil. In addition the need for drilling Virgin oil is heavily reduced.

    We reduce environmental impact (regeneration vs prim. base oil) on:
    - Fossil Resources by 7
    - Global warming by 2
    - Acidification by 4
    - Eutrophication by 2
    - Carc.risk potential by 31
    - Fine particulates (PM 2.5) by 3

    We have developed and influenced the market to embrace circular waste oil flows.
    Case study Mekonomen Appended
    Enabling factors and constraints
    The EU’s Waste Oils Directive is a start, but legislation is required to increase the proportion of waste oil regenerated.

    Customers want material substitution, which the competitors offer, but they then burn the waste oil for energy recovery, which is not a circular solution.
    Previously, it was just an issue of price, however now it has also become one of sustainability. To drive the understanding of SDG and the Paris protocol will enable all type of companies/business to understand the importance of regeneration.

    We reduce extraction of virgin oil from the ground.
    Sustainability and replicability
    Transportation takes place by rail where geographically possible.
    Customer-led demand for regenerated waste oil, which becomes lubrication oil, facilitates financial and environmental sustainability.
    Norway, Denmark and Estonia ‘new’ markets.
    Currently, this offers a competitive edge in customer negotiations.
    Conclusions

    Ragn-Sells’s has taken a clear stance in contributing to making waste fractions circular, and, where possible, reintroducing the<br />
    material into society.We have been working with regeneration of waste oil since 2005, and have influenced how it is disposed in Sweden.<br />
    Our competitors offer the market energy recovery, through incineration at a lower cost, however informing our customers about the regeneration of waste oil, we have created a new market with number of deals.

    Other sources of information
    Our own Oil Recovery Center (ORC) https://recondoil.com/ragn-sells-success/
    Oil – the movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8tNJ6wAM2U (Video in Swedish)
    Ragn-Sells regenerating Mekonomens waste oil https://www.ragnsells.se/inspireras/mekonomen/ (in Swedish)
    Waste oil get new life https://www.ragnsells.se/inspireras/samarbeten--spillolja/ (in Swedish)
    Our partner Avista Oil AG https://www.avista-oil.dk
    N/A
    Resources
    Staff / Technical expertise
    Erik Gustafsson: erik.gustafsson2@ragnsells.com
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    False
    Name Description
    Action Network
    SDG Good Practices First Call
    This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.
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    Timeline
    01 March 2005 (start date)
    28 February 2019 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Ragn-Sells AB
    SDGs
    Region
    1. Europe
    Website/More information
    N/A
    Countries
    Sweden
    Sweden
    Contact Information

    Pär Larshans, Sustainability Director