Consumers and businesses now choose lubricants using a fundamentally different set of criteria, with environmental impact playing a growing role. This is due to a variety of factors: growing awareness of each product’s impact, increasing demand for renewable and bio-based resources, and strengthening environmental regulations.

All of this means that bio-based lubricants can no longer be considered just a trend; instead, they are an increasingly important pathway toward a more sustainable future. In response to this shift, Kixx has continued to develop innovative lubricants that minimize environmental impact while maximizing performance, in support of a more sustainable future.

This third installment in the Next-Gen Lubes series introduces Kixx’s bio-based lubricant lineup, highlighting how sustainability is integrated into the portfolio.

 

How Do Bio-Based Lubricants Deliver Critical Performance?

Kixx’s bio-based lubricants are developed using plant-derived or biodegradable base oils to meet growing sustainability demands across industries. Kixx approaches sustainability with a portfolio broadly categorized into two solution groups, both designed to reduce environmental impact while maintaining established performance standards.

These include lower-carbon solutions that address lifecycle impact, such as Kixx BIO, and solutions designed to minimize ecological impact in leakage-sensitive environments, characterized by low ecological toxicity and bioaccumulation, such as Kixx RD BIO and Kixx Chain BIO. While some products may reflect elements of both, this article highlights each product’s primary sustainability value proposition.

 

| Lower-Carbon Solutions – Kixx BIO

Kixx BIO is a high performance, fully synthetic engine oil made from plant-based oil and cutting-edge additives. It is made using SynNova sustainable synthetic base oil (SSBO), which is manufactured in the U.S. and designed to support lower lifecycle carbon impact goals. SSBO is made from only the highest quality renewable plant sources like soy, coconut, rapeseed, and palm, and it keeps its viscosity longer to ensure the best lubrication for maximum fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

Kixx BIO is a USDA-certified bio-based product, packaged in containers made from recycled plastic produced through mechanical recycling (MR), which uses less energy and emits less CO₂ than chemical recycling.

For customers, it delivers improved fuel economy, enhanced wear prevention, and advanced engine protection.

Product Details

Viscosity

• 0W-20: 86% bio-based content
• 5W-30: 26% bio-based content

Applications and performance standards

• All gasoline-powered vehicles
• High-performance engines, including those with T-GDI, GDI, GPF, DOHC, EFI, and VVT systems
• Equipment requiring engine oils that meet these standards: API SQ-RC and ILSAC GF-7A

 

| Solutions With Low Ecological Toxicity and Bioaccumulation – Kixx RD BIO and Kixx Chain BIO

Kixx RD BIO is an advanced biodegradable hydraulic fluid that shows high performance, formulated to meet  the specifications of ISO 15380 — an international standard for environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) designed to minimize impact in the event of leakage —  in the hydraulic environmental ester synthetic (HEES) category.

Kixx RD BIO is formulated with bio-based raw materials that offer high biodegradability and low bioaccumulation. The product has been awarded the EU Ecolabel, a third-party-verified environmental certification for goods with a guaranteed reduced environmental impact throughout their entire lifecycle. It also exhibits readily biodegradable performance, is miscible with conventional hydraulic fluids formulated with mineral base oils, and helps minimize alterations in the physical properties of polymer materials used in hydraulic systems. For customers, it delivers excellent viscosity retention ability, low temperature fluidity, and thermal stability, as well as good wear resistance.

Product Details:

Viscosity

• ISO VG 46

Applications and performance standards

• Hydraulic equipment operating in environments where fluid leakage can cause severe pollution, such as rivers, forests, and ports
• Medium & heavy construction equipment, agricultural machinery, and industrial vehicles.
• Hydraulic equipment used in conditions with a wide operating temperature range and rapid changes
• Equipment requiring hydraulic fluid that meets these standards: EU Ecolabel biodegradable hydraulic fluid, ISO 15380 HEES, US EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) 2013 VGP (Vessel General Permit)

 

Kixx Chain BIO is a fully synthetic biodegradable chainsaw oil that meets Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik (KWF) performance requirements. The EU Ecolabel-awarded lubricant is formulated with bio-based raw materials with high biodegradability and low bioaccumulation, and is designed to offer readily biodegradable performance. It is also packaged in containers made from mechanically recycled plastic (MR). For customers, it delivers excellent low temperature fluidity, good wear resistance, and excellent rust and corrosion prevention.

Product Details:

Viscosity

• ISO VG 46

Applications and performance standards

• Chainsaw bar and chain lubricant
• Forestry machinery operated under mild load conditions
• Equipment meeting these standards: EU Ecolabel biodegradable chainsaw oil, German BLUE ANGEL DE-UZ 178, German KWF, Requirements for Verifying Usability of Chain Lubricants (Ver. 2017)

 

Sustainability is no longer a secondary consideration, as performance and environmental impact must increasingly be evaluated together. Kixx’s bio-based lubricant lineup is designed to meet these evolving needs, delivering proven performance while reducing environmental impact across a wide range of applications.

The Next-Gen Lubes series will continue with the fourth installment, which will explore Kixx’s products designed for future mobility and equipment.

Read the two previous articles in the series at the links below:

Next-Gen Lubes #1: Kixx’s Next-Generation Lubricants Powering Tomorrow’s Industries

Next-Gen Lubes #2: Building Tomorrow’s Digital Infrastructure with Kixx’s Liquid Cooling Solutions