Fully synthetic PolyAlkylene Glycol (PAG) water soluble hydraulic and gear fluids (Neptune AW, Neptune Gear, and UCON Trident) have the best environmental footprint of any lubricant due to the following reasons:
- Declared by Environment Canada as non-toxic and non-hazardous chemical (not an oil)
- They are slightly heavier than water so they sink, solubilize, and turn into a simple sugar (no bio-accumulability)
- There is essentially no spill cleanup, spill contingency plans, etc., required
- Their water ingression limits are as much as 35 times higher than mineral, vegetable, esters, or other EAL’s (Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants)