NextGen Premium Blue SAE 15W-40 and NextGen All Fleet Plus SAE 15W-40

Valvoline NextGen™ motor oil now available for commercial and industrial customers

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc. (NSYSE: ASH), today announced the addition of two new NextGen motor oil products for commercial and industrial customers. NextGen Premium Blue™ SAE 15W-40 and NextGen All Fleet™ Plus SAE 15W-40 products will be available in bulk and drum sizes from Valvoline and other distributors starting as early as November.

The new oil formulas are made from 50 percent recycled oil and deliver 100 percent Valvoline engine protection. NextGen motor oil  is great for engines and better for the environment, exceeding industry specifications with reduced environmental impact because recycling takes fewer resources than refining crude oil. NextGen Premium Blue and NextGen All Fleet Plus join the successful launch of NextGen passenger car oils that already have more than one million users since introduction this summer.

NextGen motor oil is the culmination of years of continued research, technology and innovation from Valvoline scientists coupled with advancement in the oil re-refining process. Used oil is now refined with the same processes as crude oil. Since used oil actually contains fewer contaminants and more usable molecules than crude oil, the result is new, high quality base oil. NextGen takes advantage of the highest quality recycled oil and improves it with Valvoline’s award-winning additives to make NextGen exceed industry specifications and match the high quality of other Valvoline oils. The re-refining process takes a lesser toll on our natural resources, making NextGen “better than new” oil.

“The extreme conditions and on-the-go demands of heavy-duty equipment require a motor oil that can withstand that intensity and perform again and again,” said Peter Thomson, Valvoline director of commercial & industrial marketing, “Valvoline NextGen lubricants deliver that performance with the same quality and dependability of our conventional motor oils, or we wouldn’t put our name on the package.”

The Recycling Opportunity

American cars and trucks use more than 3 billion quarts of motor oil each year. While many Americans dispose of used oil properly, Valvoline aims to inspire more to follow suit. One gallon of improperly disposed oil can contaminate up to 1 million gallons of drinking water. In addition to its potentially harmful effects to our ecosystems, oil is also a precious resource. If every American switched to NextGen recycled motor oil, it would annually save 400 million gallons of crude oil. That’s enough barrels to stretch from New York to Los Angeles and back – every year.

National Call-to-Action: Let’s Do M.O.R.E. (Motor Oil Recycling Education)

Valvoline is also focusing its efforts on doing M.O.R.E. (Motor Oil Recycling Education). NextGen motor oil provides a platform to educate consumers about the larger environmental impact we can achieve through completing the cycle: changing oil, recycling oil and using recycled oil products.

Consumers can find out more about motor oil recycling at www.nextgenmotoroil.com – from where and how to dispose of oil to the opportunity we have to conserve and lessen our dependence on crude oil. Let’s Do M.O.R.E. allows consumers to click and show their commitment to closing the loop by recycling oil and using recycled oil products. For each person who clicks, Valvoline will donate $1 to Keep America Beautiful to help protect and preserve our community environments (up to a maximum of $250,000).

About Valvoline

Valvoline, a brand of Ashland Inc., serves heavy-duty industrial and on-highway markets with Premium Blue™ engine oils, UltraMax™ engine oils and injector cleaner, Zerex™ antifreeze/coolant, Syn Gard™ FE gear oils and Car Brite™ truck care products. Additional details about Valvoline’s heavy-duty products can be found at www.valvolinehd.com<https://www.valvolinehd.com/>.