AII funded this project to validate a low-cost, underutilized energy efficiency measure with strong potential for rapid payback and scalability across Tier 2 & 3 suppliers. Lubrication is often overlooked despite its ability to reduce friction, energy use, and maintenance costs, making it a compelling “low-hanging fruit” for decarbonization.
This project piloted the replacement of conventional mineral oil-based lubricants with synthetic lubricants across textile manufacturing equipment to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. The intervention was tested on four machines in four textile mills across India, covering both process and utility equipment, with activities including baseline assessments, lubricant changeover, monitoring and verification, and development of standard operating procedures and case studies.
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This solution has strong scalability due to its applicability across a wide range of textile machinery that relies on lubrication systems, with minimal or no capital investment required. Synthetic lubricants are compatible with existing equipment and deliver both environmental and financial benefits, including negative abatement cost, making adoption attractive for cost-sensitive Tier 2–4 suppliers. Scaling will require increasing awareness, building technical understanding, and disseminating proven case studies and SOPs through programs like Clean by Design. Given that approximately 90% of industrial applications still rely on mineral oils, the replication potential is significant across textile manufacturing globally.
Synthetic lubricants offer significant potential for replication across the textile sector, particularly in spinning, weaving, knitting, and wet processing units where gear-driven machinery is widely used. With approximately 90% of industrial applications still relying on mineral oils, transitioning to synthetic lubricants can deliver measurable energy savings, extended oil life, and reduced maintenance costs. On utility and processing equipment, switching to synthetic lubricants can save 0.3 - 2.7% emissions per machine.
