On October 26, ABB won the Sustainability Development Business Award at the 6th edition of the Sino-Swiss Business Awards (SSBA), an event organized by the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in China (SwissCham China), in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy and Swissnex in China. This award celebrates the remarkable achievements of Swiss companies that prioritize sustainable practices, demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility, social impact, and ethical business conduct.
"We are honored to win the SSBA award again, which is another recognition for ABB's continuous promotion of sustainable development in China. From building 'Beautiful China' to announcing the dual-carbon targets and promoting green transformation, China is entering a new era of high-quality sustainable development. ABB's business priorities are highly aligned with China's industrial upgrading and low-carbon transition. Going forward, we will continue accelerating the pace of innovation and work with our customers and partners for a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.” said Dr. Chunyuan Gu, Chairman of ABB China.
In China, ABB enables the customers of various industries to increase the use of renewables, reduce carbon emissions and preserve resources by offering industry-leading electricity and automation solutions. For example, ABB has delivered over 11 million drives and high-efficiency motors in China by 2022, resulting in a savings of more than 510 billion kWh of energy, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 500 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions - the amount of electricity saved is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of Shanghai for three years. ABB's Azipod factory in Shanghai has delivered nearly 200 units of marine electric propulsion systems since its establishment 12 years ago to support the electrification and sustainable development of marine transport.
ABB China is also leading by example by taking measures for carbon neutrality in its own companies by the year 2030. For example, it reduced 92.7% of total greenhouse gas emission in its operations compared to the 2019 baseline by constructing rooftop solar systems and waste gas purification systems, and recycled 88 percent of the total non-hazardous waste generated from its production. Eleven local companies are compliant with Energy Management System (ISO 50001) standard, five locations of ABB in China received national Green Factory certification by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(CIIT), and some more facilities were awarded the certificate of carbon neutrality, Zero Waste to Landfill Gold Operations, Green Product Design, or Green Supply Chain Management.
“ABB embeds sustainability deeply within its business. We are not only helping the customers, suppliers and our own companies to achieve green and low-carbon development, but also continuously drives social progress by supporting local education and talent cultivation, fostering the diversity and inclusion (D&I) culture, and acts with integrity and transparency across the whole value chain.” said Charles Yu, head of Sustainability Affairs, ABB China.
ABB has actively supported social progress through a series of community engagement initiatives and social responsibility programs. Since 2005, ABB has donated nearly RMB 17 million in total through China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and financed 5,000 electrical engineering students from more than 47 universities in China. Supported by CAA and the Swiss Embassy in China, ABB is also boosting local education by holding innovation contest annually in the past 18 years to cultivate their ability of innovative thinking and problem-solving skills in real life. ABB promotes D&I culture across the organization, increases the share of female in senior management positions, and uses a systematic approach to foster a culture of Integrity and compliance.
The Sino-Swiss Business Awards is a biennial event initiated in 2013 to thank companies for their achievements over the past years and to recognize their contribution to both the Swiss and Chinese business communities. ABB was awarded the Innovation of the Year 2013, the Industry 4.0 Innovation and Creativity Award in 2019, as well as the Social Responsibility, Diversity and Education Award in 2021.
ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on more than 130 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation.
