Ecotree Background

Ecotree is a bioscience company that puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions which contribute to a cleaner, safer and healthier Mother Earth. Specialising in the production of a wide range of innovative products relating to biobased lubricants and its derivatives, Ecotree was established in 2005 by a group of entrepreneurs who recognise the importance of developing renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. Ecotree assumed the business operations of Ecolube Petroleum Group, an established lubricants specialist with operations dating back to the early 1970s. With this strategic merger, Ecotree was able to marry over 30 years of experience in the lubrication industry with modern science to produce a range of traditional as well as biodegradable lubricants.

Our biolubricants are marketed under the Ecotree brand name while the traditional range of mineral based lubricants is promoted under the Ecolube label.

Ecotree caters to a broad range of industries from mainstream automotive and engineering industries to more specialised industries such as incidental food contact lubricants for the food processing industry. For the metalworking industries, we have a full range of biobased, biodegradable and biocide protected high performance metal-cutting fluids that are formulated to provide high performance properties for all medium to heavy duty machining operations.

Background to our Biolubricant Products

As fossil fuels continue to be depleted, the shift to renewable source lubricants is becoming more and more urgent.

Biolubricants have many inherent qualities which provide natural advantages over mineral based lubricants. As biolubricants are derived from renewable resources, their use avoids the upstream pollution associated with petroleum extraction and refining. With numerous environmental disasters arising from spillage of mineral oils, the natural characteristics of biolubricants like degradability, low toxicity, not harming aquatic based organisms and surrounding vegetation become particularly attractive. Biolubricants are ideally suited for applications where recycling is impossible, worker exposure is likely or contamination with the environment is inevitable.

These qualities are particularly important in applications in environmentally sensitive areas such as marine and forestry ecosystems, and become a necessity for total loss lubricants such as in hydraulic systems, chainsaw and mould release oils, etc.

Biolubricants are inherently safer than their petroleum counterparts because of their high flash point, low volatile organic compound emissions and relatively low toxicity.

In terms of performance, biolubricants generally outperform traditional lubricants in its defining characteristic - they lubricate extremely well resulting in lower equipment wear. With an inherent high viscosity index, biolubricants do not thin as readily as petroleum oils in warm temperatures, allowing some lubricants a longer life.

We are presently finalising our application to obtain the prestigious Blue Angel ecolabel from Germany and the Nordic Swan label of the Scandinavian countries.