HOUSTON — Shell Lubricants was named Supplier of the Year for Sustainability by Wal-Mart at the company’s annual Supplier Summit held in Orlando, Fla., in March for the development and utilization of the Ecobox system, which offers environmental benefits through its approach to packaging motor oil. This packaging system delivered significant results by helping reduce plastic and oil from the waste stream and improve speed in the retail giant’s Tire & Lube Express (TLEs) locations.

Wal-Mart operates 2,500 TLE quick-lube facilities in the U.S. Without the Ecobox system, Wal-Mart TLEs would have had to discard millions of plastic quart bottles, which would have ended up in landfills. In addition, the Ecobox carton is designed to leave minimal residual oil behind, so use of Ecobox cartons helped prevent a significant amount of residual oil from the bottles from being thrown away.

“We are proud to be honored by our largest customer for the significant efforts that went into developing the Ecobox system,” said Jim McCormick, senior vice president, retail sales North America for Shell Lubricants. “We are excited to have brought to market this packaging and dispensing system that demonstrates how products with environmental benefits can also be good for business.”

Instead of using conventional plastic bottles, the Ecobox System developed by Shell Lubricants uses a carton that houses oil in a flexible plastic liner encased in cardboard. According to Shell, it has been attracting interest among North America’s auto service center owners for its practical and environmental benefits; it is designed to simplify transport and storage, leave less residual oil behind in the container, minimize spills and reduce waste. The Ecobox plastic liner generates 89 percent less plastic landfill waste than the equivalent 24 quart plastic bottles, as the carton is fully recyclable.

Since its trial in around 200 Wal-Mart sites in 2009, the Ecobox system has been taken up at more than 3,600 vehicle service centers in the USA and Canada. High demand prompted a multi-million dollar investment by Shell Lubricants in the first Ecobox production line at the Congo Lubes Plant in West Virginia. The plant also uses environmentally responsible processes in its Ecobox carton production such as reusable materials, energy-efficient lighting, and innovative, automated optical systems that help prevent oil leaks.

The Ecobox system is part of Shell Oil Co.’s "smarter mobility" approach to developing innovations for cleaner and more efficient transport of people and goods. For more information on Shell’s smarter mobility, visit www.shell.com/smartermobility.