This further cements the company’s commitment within one of the most virtuous Italian chains in the circular economy, whose results are also well-known abroad. CONOU oversees the correct collection and disposal of used mineral oils throughout Italy. In 2020 it collected 171,000 tonnes, a figure estimated to represent around 46% of the total placed on the national market for consumption, compared to the European average of 41%.
And that's not all. Virtually all the oil recovered through the chain is then sent for regeneration, compared to the European average of 55%. This leading example of efficiency allows Italy to drastically reduce the quantity of base oils obtained from crude oil processing placed on the market, resulting in substantial environmental benefits.
Grassano is one of the branches of the consortium chain responsible for the collection of waste oils. In 2021 it recovered 7,470 tonnes of used mineral oils, an increase of almost 22% on the collection of the previous year. This material comes from Alessandria and the entire North West area, primarily from major industrial sites.
A small quantity of recovered lubricant derives instead from the small-scale collection that Grassano operates, by consortium agreement, throughout the Province of Alessandria, carrying out on-demand pickups directly with its own vehicles from small businesses, local companies and individuals for quantities under 720 kilos. This is a particularly widespread and invaluable operation in terms of protecting environmental ecosystems, as it allows limited quantities of waste to be sent for recovery and regeneration, waste which would otherwise be an extremely dangerous pollutant if dumped or disposed of incorrectly.
In 2021 Grassano’s door-to-door collection led to the recovery of 343 tonnes of used mineral oil, an increase of 36 tonnes compared to the previous year (+11.72%).
