15/08/2025 • The UK manufacturing industry is increasingly focused on sustainability, with 75% of manufacturers prioritising investment in green technologies. Here at SEW-EURODRIVE, we’ve been leading in helping companies go greener, and boost their sustainability. Read on to learn how we’ve done it, and where – including London Gatwick Airport!
When speaking to our customers across various processing industries, we heard a demand for more sustainably made gears, to enable greener manufacturing, while maintaining optimal system performance.
That’s why we’ve introduced our environmentally friendly ECO2 design as standard across more of our products, recognising the importance of reducing carbon emissions and increasing the recyclability of the range we offer.
The ECO2 range features drives made from uncoated aluminium, which forms a natural thin protective layer when combined with oxygen. These drives can be used in indoor spaces with a maximum humidity of 60%, and at temperatures between -20°C and +60°C.
The coating-free drives are designed for use across various applications, including cleaning systems, conveyor belts, and precise dispensing, while the name ECO2 highlights the range’s dual advantages – delivering both environmental and economic benefits.
The drives save energy by avoiding drying stages, and have lower CO2 emissions, with easier reuse and recycling at the end of the product lifecycle.
Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond our gear units too. We’ve also developed an innovative eco-friendly lubricant, GearFluid, which is manufactured from sustainable biomass (bio-waste and food-waste).
Benefits of switching to sustainable lubricants include their reduced carbon dioxide emissions, high biodegradability, longer service life, and high efficiency.
You can also use sustainable lubricants across a variety of gear units, whether they’re standard, servo or industrial. This enables them to be used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from airport baggage systems to automotive production.
The biodegradable properties of sustainable lubricants also mean they can be used within businesses operating in environmentally sensitive areas such as near water bodies.
GearFluid by SEW-EURODRIVE has all the benefits listed above. It doesn’t involve the consumption of any fossil fuels, which reduces its carbon footprint by 84% compared to conventional polyglycol oils.
Additionally, when compared to other biodegradable oils, GearFluid extends the interval between lubricant changes by up to 300%, with no limitations on the use of different oil seals and sealing materials either.
We’ve recently partnered with London Gatwick Airport, which has implemented GearFluid across its baggage handling operations.
The product is currently being rolled out as standard across all of SEW-EURODRIVE’s MOVEGEAR® range at London Gatwick, which encompasses over 3,000 SEW gears and motors, spanning approximately 13,000 metres across its 674-hectare site.
Speaking about introducing GearFluid, Stevie Summers, senior engineering manager, at London Gatwick, said: “We’ve used MOVIGEAR® drives at London Gatwick for nearly 15 years now and have had positive experiences with SEW products. We are working to make sustainability part of everything we do at London Gatwick and the benefits of GearFluid are clear. We’re proud to be one of the first to roll-out GearFluid, and we’re looking forward to seeing the benefits over the next few years as we implement our Decade of Change, where we are working to be net-zero for our own emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030.”
Piers Todd, area sales manager at SEW-EURODRIVE UK, added: “We are proud to play a part in London Gatwick’s goals and help to make a real difference to both their operations and sustainability goals. GearFluid is such an exciting product for us and hopefully we can support more businesses to reach their carbon reduction targets and improve their operations. GearFluid has been developed to reduce friction and wear, extending the service life of the gears. Compared to conventional biodegradable oils, GearFluid extends the interval between lubricant changes by up to 300 per cent, massively reducing cost, down time and environmental impact.”
Ready to go greener with SEW-EURODRIVE? Get in touch with our team today.