By Mike Mustapha, Division President of ABB Smart Buildings
If your ambition is to achieve net zero and transform your sustainability credentials, effective change management is essential. When I joined ABB, the company’s efforts to embed sustainability into every facet of operations were just beginning. Today, I’m proud to share how far we’ve come and how our collective mission guides our journey to a low-carbon future. Industries and the built environment are integral to our modern lives. As leader of ABB’s Smart Buildings Division, I witness daily how these sectors can embrace sustainability and drive the energy transition. Through advancements in automation, energy management, and IoT, our smart building technologies empower homes, commercial spaces, and industrial facilities to operate at peak performance –optimizing energy efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. At ABB, we understand that businesses must do more than simply operate; they must lead. That’s why our mission is clear: to help industries and buildings achieve leaner and cleaner operations. As a company, we’re also leading by example by decarbonizing our own operations and optimizing our sites globally.
Mission to Zero™: A Blueprint for Sustainable Operations
ABB’s Mission to Zero™ began with a pilot project at our Lüdenscheid facility in Germany. Employees used ABB technologies to create an integrated energy management solution that optimizes all aspects of energy production and distribution, managing electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar panels, and battery storage, reducing CO2e emissions by 750 tons annually. This success inspired other sites to follow, demonstrating the power of employee-driven innovation. Today, more than 20 facilities across ABB Electrification’s business have joined Mission to Zero™, collectively reducing CO2e emissions by 30,000 tons annually - the equivalent of removing over 7,000 petrol cars from the road. ABB’s Smart Buildings division alone has contributed to a 13,000-ton reduction.
Building on Momentum: Leading by Example
Following the success in Lüdenscheid, our approach evolved into a global program driven by collaboration and local expertise. Each site tailors its solutions based on unique conditions while learning from other facilities’ experiences. This pilot-to-blueprint approach is crucial as, according to the IEA, buildings account for over 30% of global energy use and 26% of CO2 emissions. Our teams have learned that true transformation requires more than technology. It’s about inspiring a mindset shift. Leaders must act as coaches, empowering employees to champion sustainability. This inclusive approach is key to meaningful, lasting change.
ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings facility in Santa Palomba, Italy 
ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings facility in Porvoo, Finland
Success Stories: Santa Palomba and Porvoo
Across the globe, ABB’s local teams are using our technologies to drive sustainability. In Santa Palomba, Italy, solar photovoltaic shelters power 17 EV charging stations and ABB’s own building management software helps HVAC systems, heat pumps, and lighting run more efficiently. The site also sends zero production waste to landfill, aligning with the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package. In Porvoo, Finland, we’ve shifted to recycled plastic for manufacturing junction boxes, reducing their carbon footprint by 40%. This innovation also conserves 90 liters of water per unit while maintaining high performance even in extreme temperatures. Our SAGA™ range of switches and sockets, made from bio-circular materials, is projected to save 400 tons of CO2e annually by 2030—equivalent to heating 42,438 electric saunas.
Empowering Change Through Collaboration
Sustainability is a shared responsibility. Our Mission to Zero™ program unites employees, customers, and partners in a collective effort to optimize, electrify, and decarbonize operations worldwide. By working shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners, we aim to provide a replicable blueprint that integrates sustainable practices and enables a smarter, more resource-efficient future.
Shaping a Smarter, More Sustainable World
At ABB, sustainability is more than a goal. Through innovation, collaboration, and the relentless pursuit of improvement, we help industries and buildings ‘outrun’ their challenges to operate leaner, cleaner, and more efficiently. Together, we’re building a smarter, more sustainable world for generations to come.
About the author
Mike is the Division President of ABB Smart Buildings and was appointed in February 2022. In this position he has full accountability for the performance of the global Smart Buildings business in ABB, which includes a broad portfolio of market leading home and building automation solutions as well as the portfolio for energy distribution systems and products. After starting his career in the U.S. in 1990 as an Application Engineer with Rotoflow Corp. Inc., a leading supplier of high-speed rotary and cryogenic machinery for process industries, Mike built global leadership experience with Altas CopCo, a multinational industrial company, where he held various leadership positions. In January 2009, Mike founded the new Pre-Engineered Buildings and Hot Rolled Structured Steel Group, headquartered in Jeddah, KSA with its own independent Board. Mike assumed overall accountability for the company, overseeing the Middle East. Mike joined ABB in August 2011 as Low Voltage Division Regional Manager for India, Middle East & Africa. In June 2014, he was promoted to Global Managing Director for the Building Products Business Unit prior to his 2018 appointment as Head of Global Markets for the Electrification business. Mike currently resides in Dubai and holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC), U.S.
