Repsol YPF

Sigaus, a solution for used industrial oil

In it's first year of activity, SIG (Integrated Management System) treated 173,151 tons of this waste product.

The lubricant oils used in industrial machinery and in millions of vehicles on our roads are converted through use into a poisonous residue that needs to be collected, recycled and treated.

From the public purse to the manufacturer's responsibility

Following the publication of Royal Decree 679/2006, the “principle of manufacturer's responsibility” began to be applied. This had already been introduced by Law 10/1998 on Waste, which indicated that “the producer, importer or any other party responsible for placing on the market goods that become waste through use, may be obliged to take direct responsibility for the management of these waste products” 

In the case of used oil, this means that it befalls the manufacturers of industrial oils to guarantee and finance the disposal of a quantity of used oils, proportional to the quantity of new oil that they place on the market. As such, lubricant manufacturers are economically responsible for the correct management of their used oils, replacing public funding, which had borne this cost since 1992. 

Integrated Management System

As is permitted by law, the disposal of the waste oil is carried out by SIGAUS (Sistema integrado de gestión de aceites usados), which has been in operation since January 2007. Repsol YPF's Lubricants and Specialised Products department displays its commitment to the environment by assuming the presidency of SIGAUS.

Since its creation, Sigaus has been responsible for the collection and subsequent treatment of used oil in the whole of Spain, resulting from industrial use as well as vehicles.

Sigaus is financed through fees paid by participating manufacturers in respect of the oil that they place on the national market: €0.06 per kilogram of marketed oil, which the manufacturer passes on to the consumer.

SIGAUS also has a commitment to finance the economic deficits declared by companies undertaking the collection and recovery of used oil, and which have reached respective agreements with Sigaus.