Lube Stop Embraces Sustainability
The U.S. is headed down a path of unsustainable consumption and materialism. America represents just four percent of the world’s population, yet consumes over one-quarter of the earth’s natural resources and emits one-quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. Three planet Earths would be required to sustain the global population if everyone maintained the same consumption rate as the U.S. With these statistics in mind, Lube Stop, a Northeast Ohio company, embarked on a process to develop a sustainability program based on the company’s existing environmental best practices.
Northeast Ohio-based Lube Stop embraces sustainability and focuses on the triple bottom line—profits, people and planet.
In December 2007, the Lube Stop Sustainability Program (LSSP) was formally implemented with the goal of significantly reducing the company’s ecological impact and improving the communities in which it operates. Lube Stop was one of the first companies in the quick oil change industry to launch such a program. The LSSP is an ongoing program that encourages company-wide communication to harvest innovative ideas that positively impact the environment, customers and company. Lube Stop believes businesses play a key role in addressing today’s environmental challenges and that proactively managing the triple bottom line—profits, people and planet—enables companies to better serve customers as well as the communities in which they operate.
Early results of the LSSP include the elimination of more than 250,000 plastic bottles and 30,000 cardboard boxes annually by converting high volume oil viscosities to bulk containers. The company recycles nearly 500 laser printer cartridges and saves close to $40,000 annually by using refurbished laser toner cartridges. Since 2006, Lube Stop offers a standing discount to hybrid drivers and saves more than $3,000 (or 21,000 kWh) annually by simply turning off computer monitors at stores and the corporate office when closed.
Lube Stop recycles more than 400,000 gallons of used motor oil annually and helps promote the environmental issues used motor oil has on the environment by participating in Ground Water Awareness Week, an annual event that stresses the importance of protecting ground water. In May, Lube Stop was the first quick oil change company in Ohio to market an oil change service utilizing re-refined oil. This service, EcoGuard Oil Change, uses an API- and ILSAC-certified motor oil comprised of 85 percent reclaimed motor oil that has been re-refined back into base oil stocks then blended with new performance additives. Within six months, the EcoGuard service represented 32 percent of all oil changes performed at Lube Stop, despite a six percent price premium.
These early successes clearly demonstrate the win-win opportunities available to companies willing to embrace sustainable business practices, even for those operating in mature, competitive industries. In October, Lube Stop won the Sustainability category in the Crain’s Cleveland Business “Cool Places to Work” awards. This award has helped promote the LSSP to other Northeast Ohio companies as a model for them to develop their own sustainability programs. Northeast Ohio is unique in the number of resources available to companies interested in pursuing sustainable business practices, including the Corporate Sustainability Network, Entrepreneurs For Sustainability and The GreenCityBlueLake Institute. Leading by example, Lube Stop hopes Northeast Ohio businesses, big and small, will embrace sustainability and make the region a more competitive, healthier place to live.
For more information, visit www.lubestop.com or call 888-567-1787.