Taking a circular approach to energy efficiency with Brazilian industry

Preserving the life of existing equipment; replacing defunct machinery with more efficient new technology and minimizing waste generated by used components: these are key facets of a circular approach to industrial manufacturing.

More than 300 million electric motor systems are in operation globally, so finding ways to transform management and disposal of failing or dated equipment is a sustainability imperative.

In Brazil, which in July 2024 issued a decree to establish its first National Circular Economy Strategy, ABB is helping industries to outrun, leaner and cleaner. We are supporting circularity initiatives, thereby reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption and environmental impact.

Taking ABB’s circularity model to industry

Our Motion business in Brazil has launched the  ABB Inverters, Electric Motors and Generators Circularity Project  – an initiative that aims to maximize the efficiency of manufacturing processes, optimize the use of natural resources and minimize the environmental impacts of production chains.

The project offers a practical and effective solution for the replacement, procurement and recycling of obsolete equipment. After the installation of the new equipment, ABB collects the old machinery and transports it to an approved partner for environmentally responsible disposal. This process involves disassembly, de-characterization¹ and recycling, to transform old kit into raw materials.

A destination certificate is issued, allowing customers to prove proper disposal and include this action in their sustainability goals. The certificate also includes a mass balance², detailing the key raw materials recovered during the process.

Customer-proven circularity approach

The success of the initiative was proven by Usina Nova Gália, a company in the sugar-energy sector located in Brazil’s Paraúna municipality. The plant sent an old drive panel to ABB for repair, but found that full replacement made more sense. ABB oversaw collection of the old machinery for disassembly and breaking down into raw material. Almost two tons of material was re-used thanks to environmentally correct disposal.

The experience of Usina Nova Gália backed up findings of a pilot project in which 74 small motors were replaced. This resulted in: 

• 5.45 tons of material processed
•  99 percent of parts recycled

This was equivalent to:

• 351 thousand liters of gasoline saved, or enough energy to supply 20 thousand homes for a month
  

In addition:

• Enough water to fill 9 Olympic swimming pools was saved
• The cutting of 7 eucalyptus trees was avoided.

ABB's commitment to sustainability in the product lifecycle

The Circularity Project is part of ABB Motion’s commitment to offering innovative and sustainable solutions that drive industry growth while preserving natural resources for present and future generations.

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Footnotes

1.      ‘De-characterization’, under Brazilian legislation, means functionally re-integrating the structure and its contents into the environment, so that the structure no longer serves its primary purpose

2.     Mass balance explained