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Rising material extraction has shrunk global circularity from 9.1 percent in 2018, to 8.6 percent in 2020, and to 7.2 percent in 2023.1 Without radical transformation of the materials used to satisfy humanity’s needs, we cannot meaningfully cut emissions.
How can this be done? Circular economy solutions can address roughly half of the climate and three quarters of biodiversity loss.
ABB’s strategy focuses on preserving resources at every stage of a product’s lifecycle, from design and sourcing, through production and use, all the way to responsible end-of-life services. It is a key element of ABB’s sustainability agenda and business models based on circularity can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Our circularity model aims to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency by recycling, reusing, and regenerating resources. It moves beyond the wasteful linear model of "take-make-dispose", to embrace the circular model: "reduce-reuse-recycle". By valuing waste as a resource, we can reduce dependence on virgin materials, lower emissions, and restore ecosystems.
ABB has more than 20 product families represented in the EcoSolutions program. ABB EcoSolutions products meet our circularity criteria in each stage of the product life cycle, as defined in ABB’s circularity framework, and have Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) which are third party verified. This is part of our commitment to making our products more circular and supporting our customers' sustainability journeys by offering more sustainable product choices.
The LCA is a methodology for calculating/assessing the environmental impact of products. An EPD is a document which transparently communicates the environmental performance of a product over its lifetime. EPDs allow companies to substantiate claims with third-party verified data.
These are all important tools to make our products more sustainable and reduce ABB’s impact on the environment. LCA and EPD declarations can help us all make informed decisions about our solutions.
Select one of the boxes above to see more.
Globally
ABB is working with Boliden, the Swedish mining and smelting company, to build a strategic co-operation to use low carbon footprint copper in its electromagnetic stirring (EMS) equipment and high-efficiency electric motors. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while driving the transition to a more circular economy.
Our product portfolio embraces circularity. For example, our synchronous reluctance motors deliver IE5 ultra-premium energy efficiency and avoid rare-earth materials. Also our digitalization and modernization services extend lifetime, optimize performance and reduce waste. Within the realm of recycling, our motors and drives are 90 percent to 98.5 percent recyclable.
Finland
ABB is actively transitioning to REZYcom PP, a recycled plastic material, supplied by Polykemi, the largest producer of customized thermoplastic compounds in Scandinavia. This has led to a 40 percent carbon reduction and minimized water usage across the lifecycle.
United States of America
To help address dangerous marine pollution, ABB Installation Products pioneered industry-leading cable protection crafted from 50 percent recycle-based polyamide using primarily recovered fishing nets. This ABB’s PMA® EcoGuard™ PA6 RPPA conduit requires less energy and water to produce, reducing 30 percent of upstream Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and 50 percent of net freshwater use.
Globally
Closed loop and other recycling processes have saved 65 percent of industrial water use and 80 percent of cooling water use at ABB sites worldwide through 2022; we have 13 projects under way to improve water management, with projected annual savings of 17 kilotons.
Netherlands
ARN’s waste-to-energy plants help to drive a circular economy in the Netherlands and Europe. The plant has been using the ABB Ability™ Distributed Control System 800xA® since 2008. In June 2023, ABB upgraded the distributed control system (DCS) to a newer system version.
Finland
ABB’s electrical installation products manufacturing site in Porvoo, Finland, has reduced its mixed plastic waste by 50 percent and improved its recycling rate by almost 20 percent in 2023 by adopting innovative processes for reusing waste products.
Globally
The Circular Water Economy is an innovative approach to managing water resources sustainably and efficiently. It aims to mimic the circular principles found in nature, where resources are continuously recycled and reused. In contrast, the Traditional Water Economy is the conventional linear approach, where water is used once and then discarded as wastewater without much consideration for recycling or conservation.
The Circular Water Economy is built on the so-called six Rs: "Reduce," "Reuse," "Recycle," "Reclaim," "Recover," and "Restore". The six elements represent different strategies aimed at sustainable water management and conservation.
Germany
Reconditioned robots turned out to be the right choice to preserve sustainable and efficient operation, while minimizing production downtime for one of our customers. Refurbishing a robot generates around 75 percent less CO2 than producing a new one.
Egypt
A project to modernize an ACS600 multidrive at Al Bardi Paper Mill in Egypt has upgraded it to the latest drive technology, increasing its reliability by approximately 30 percent and extending its lifetime by at least 12 years.
Belgium
ABB helped ENGIE, a leading energy supplier in Belgium, to ensure continuous and safe operations in its innovative heat and power plants. This is a tangible example of how the circular approach can extend asset lifespan and reduce operating equipment costs, bringing short and long-term benefits to the company, society, and environment.
Globally
We offer a take-back service for switchgears and components including breakers. We have piloted it in several countries and will scale it up in 2024.
Germany
In 2023, we partnered with Germany's Remondis, which recycles old inefficient motors and sends the retrieved metals to selected companies that ABB can then use as suppliers to manufacture new products.
Sweden
ABB Large Motors and Generators in Sweden have joined forces with Stena Recycling to offer our customers an opportunity to recycle their old machines. The deal ensures that end-of-life motors/generators are recycled in an environmentally friendly way and the metals are reused in new products made in Europe.
Türkiye
ABB has completed the retrofit conversion of a Nuh Cement-owned diesel-fueled Euclid R85B haul truck into a fully electric, zero-emission vehicle. The two companies worked together closely to design and build this retrofit project, making this the first time in the world that a vehicle of this size and class type has been fully electrified.