SAIL Europe, in cooperation with ATIEL and the EELQMS Letter of Conformance (LoC) scheme, has announced the introduction of a new transparency measure designed to strengthen accountability, protect lubricant quality, and reinforce confidence in the industry.
Under the updated procedure, SAIL will publish details on its website (www.sail-europe.eu) of lubricants that fail independent quality testing where the responsible LoC scheme participant has not responded after multiple reminders.
How the System Works
- When a product fails a SAIL test, the LoC participant is notified and given 28 days to respond with corrective action or clarification.
- If no response is received, two reminders are issued at 28 and 42 days.
- After 56 days of non-response, the case is published on the SAIL website at www.sail-europe.eu under “Non-Conforming Lubricants – No Response from LoC Participant after multiple reminders.”
- Published entries will include the Lubricant Marketer, product name, batch number, country of purchase (if available), nature of the failure, and key dates, and will remain online for six months.
- Participants retain the right to appeal, during which the listing will be temporarily removed pending review. If the case is resolved, the entry will be deleted within 10 working days.
Why This Change is Needed
The new system addresses cases where some LoC scheme participants have failed to engage following failing test results, even after repeated reminders. By publishing these cases, SAIL ensures:
- Greater accountability among participants
- Transparency for OEMs, regulators, and consumers
- Protection of the integrity and reputation of the SAIL and ATIEL initiatives
- Encouragement of timely corrective actions to uphold ACEA quality standards
Statement from SAIL
“Introducing this measure is a necessary step to reinforce trust in our quality monitoring processes. By making unresolved cases visible, we ensure fairness, transparency, and protect the credibility of both the Letter of Conformance scheme and the wider industry,” said Michael Boyer, Director of SAIL Europe.
Next Steps
The new policy will be integrated into SAIL’s operational procedures and take effect from 1st January 2026. All LoC scheme participants are being informed of the change, and the SAIL-Europe.eu platform will be updated to support publication of non-responses.
