Improving our products
We provide fuel for transport, energy for heat and light, power for industry, lubricants to keep engines running and the petrochemicals products used to make everyday items such as paints, clothes and packaging
Q. What is BP doing to help consumers lower their emissions?
A. “BP’s global portfolio of products includes fuels and lubricants that help improve engine efficiency and reduce emissions and we’re seeking to expand the range of options we offer. For example, we supply BP Biojet to our airline customers in certain markets. For the past 13 years we’ve also been helping consumers take action on their emissions through our carbon offsetting programme, BP Target Neutral. So far, we’ve created more than 20 different carbon neutral products and services across the aviation, commercial transport and automotive industries.”
Andrea Abrahams, global director, BP Target Neutral
Three quarters of cars on the road in 2040 could still be using internal combustion engines, based on recent trends.
It’s estimated that cars with conventional engines could be nearly 50% more efficient by 2040 that they are today. So gains in fuel and vehicle efficiency are tremendously important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why we are always looking for a wide variety of ways to innovate with fuels, lubricants and chemicals that can help our customers and consumers lower their emissions.
Many of our products and services are accredited as part of our Advancing Low Carbon programme.
How we are limiting emissions
Offsetting via an app
We are giving UK drivers the opportunity to offset the CO2 emissions from the fuel they buy from us, through our BPme fuel payment app.
Carbon neutral lubricant
Castrol’s VECTON has been specifically formulated to meet the needs of the commercial trucking industry and is certified as carbon neutral, in accordance with PAS 2060.
Boosting wind turbine efficiency
Our joint venture with Romax Technology, trading as ONYX InSight, provides engineering and software services to wind farm operators so that they can monitor the condition of wind turbines and avoid breakdowns.
Lower carbon chemicals
Our PTAir, used to make items such as clothes and packaging, has a carbon footprint almost 30% lower than the average European PTA.
Jet fuel made from household waste
We’ve invested in Fulcrum BioEnergy, who are constructing a facility to turn household waste that would otherwise go to landfill into fuel for transport.
Carbon offsetting programme
We expanded our carbon offsetting programme for dealerships in Mexico and Singapore, through BP Target Neutral, which supports emissions reduction projects.
Renewable gas from food and agricultural waste
Our biogas joint venture in the US turns raw gas from nearby landfill sites into biomethane, which is used as a fossil fuel substitute.
Plastic waste and the circular economy
We are looking at how we can advance the circular economy – where resources stay in use for as long as possible, with the maximum value extracted in that time, and are then recovered and regenerated at the end.
We see some of the greatest opportunities in the chemicals and plastics sector. We produce purified terephthalic acid (PTA), a feedstock used to make items such as beverage and food packaging, as well as fibres for clothing and carpets. To help the world meet its need for sustainable plastics solutions we are:
- Partnering with Virent and Johnson Matthey to advance the commercialization of Virent’s Bioforming process for production of bio-paraxylene, a key raw material for renewable plastic.
- Developing technologies for chemical recycling that can make previously unrecyclable plastics destined for landfill and incineration infinitely recyclable. We are looking to commercialize the technologies by 2025.
- Reducing plastic in packaging – we’ve redesigned some of our Castrol engine oil packaging in the US to use less plastic, resulting in a reduction of around 1,500 tonnes a year.
We are conducting a study on how the circular economy affects BP and how we might contribute to it, with the aim of identifying opportunities for our existing and future business operations.
