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Safety-Kleen Signs G.H. Berlin Co. to Market EcoPower 'Green Motor Oil' in Four State Service Area

EcoPower now available to consumers in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., June 9 -- G.H. Berlin Co., a northeastern United States provider of commercial and industrial lubricants, products and services, is delivering "green oil" to its customers, effective immediately.

EcoPower, made by Safety-Kleen, is a fully re-refined recycled motor oil that meets or exceeds premium quality and performance standards. It is now available from G.H. Berlin Co. throughout Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts.

"There is growing demand for a top-quality, environmentally friendly motor oil," said Rick Booth, co-owner of G.H. Berlin Co. "With EcoPower, we give our customers a motor oil alternative that helps them demonstrate a commitment to being more eco-conscious."

EcoPower motor oil is priced competitively with comparable premier motor oils, Booth noted.

"We launched EcoPower this year in response to growing consumer demand for green products and services," said Eric Zimmer, senior vice president of marketing for Safety-Kleen of Plano, Texas. "In a recent market test, 46 percent of all consumers we surveyed had a much more positive opinion of retailers who offered our environmentally-friendly oil change."

For the past 20 years, Safety-Kleen has produced high-quality motor oils for large commercial fleets and the federal government by re-refining used oil collected at thousands of car dealerships, automotive retailers and quick-lube facilities across North America. Safety-Kleen is now making its re-refined oil available to consumers under the brand name EcoPower. The company is targeting distributors and retailers across the U.S. to offer the new product.

G.H. Berlin Co. is the first dealer in New England to offer this environmentally-friendly, recycled motor oil, Zimmer said.

"EcoPower is the first, truly innovative motor oil product to come on the retail market in many years. It will help dealers attract and retain customers, especially those looking for greener alternatives," he said.

In 2008, Safety-Kleen collected more than 225 million gallons of used oil and recycled approximately 145 million of it into base oil products for re-use in the marketplace. Safety-Kleen's re-refined oil meets or exceeds all applicable specifications set by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Society of Automotive Engineers, and is currently used by many large organizations, including the U.S. military, numerous state governments and automotive fleets.

"Re-refining used oil saves energy," said Zimmer. "It takes up to 85 percent less energy to produce a gallon of re-refined oil from used oil than to produce that same product from a gallon of crude. Yet, the quality of recycled motor oil is virtually identical to oils made from crude."

According to Zimmer, the process for re-refining used oil is essentially the same as refining crude oil. Both go through the same exacting processes of distillation and hydro-treating. The end product is identical to traditional motor oils made from crude and must meet the same specifications.

"The end result of Safety-Kleen's re-refining used oil is that it avoids the emission of more than 300,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year when compared to refining from crude and burning used oil for energy," said Zimmer. "That is equivalent to taking more than 200,000 cars off the road each and every year."

EcoPower motor oil is now available in 5W-20, 5W-30, 10W-30 and 15W-40 viscosity grades. In addition, all major U.S. car manufacturers have approved the use of Safety-Kleen SAE 5W-20, 5W-30 and 10W-30 ILSAC-certified motor oil in all their cars. The EcoPower SAE 15W-40 grade has also been approved by leading heavy-duty engine manufacturers.