Better by design: building sustainability into our products
We take a strict approach to ensuring that the materials and components we use in our products comply with our own and our stakeholders’ standards. This means building sustainability into our products at the design stage, selecting the right materials, minimizing material use and reducing emissions in manufacturing processes.
We use a process called the ABB Gate Model for product and technology development. Sustainability aspects are built into this Gate Model and include a standardized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedure and a handbook to guide consideration of environmental, and health and safety aspects during design.
To guide material selection, we have compiled a list of prohibited and restricted substances, which references international regulations. These lists help both our engineers and suppliers to comply with regulatory requirements and to manage potential risks caused by the presence of chemicals in various products.
ABB facilities are required to ensure compliance with the ABB List of Prohibited and Restricted Substances and to work to phase out hazardous substances in their processes and products, in line with our Sustainability Objectives 2014 – 2020.
We also develop Environmental Product Declarations to communicate the environmental performance of our core products over their life cycle. Declarations are based on LCA studies, created according to international standard ISO/TR 14025.