At ABB, we set out to find a smarter and faster way to deliver accurate, real-time product carbon footprint (PCF) data for our low voltage motors. That meant looking beyond our own R&D and into the global startup ecosystem. The result is a completed proof of concept (PoC) that proves the power of open innovation in advancing sustainability data transparency for industrial motors.
From challenge to collaboration
The project traces its origins to the Nordic Open Innovation Challenge (NOIC), an initiative organized by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) that brings together the Nordic region's strengths in sustainability innovation with Singapore's growing expertise in ClimateTech and AI. Through this platform, ABB selected Unravel Carbon, a Singapore-headquartered startup pioneering AI agents for sustainability management. Its technology automates emissions calculations, compliance workflows, and climate data processing.
The collaboration, further supported by Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), has now produced a successful PoC. This takes the form of a carbon footprint tool that deploys AI agents to calculate a comprehensive manufacturing PCF for low voltage motors.
Clarence Hoe, Executive Director of Americas & Europe at EnterpriseSG, welcomed the outcome: "We congratulate ABB and Unravel Carbon on their successful partnership through the NOIC. As decarbonization moves from commitment to execution, corporates need partners who can turn ambition into solutions. We hope to continue supporting corporates like ABB to leverage Singapore's vibrant startup and technology ecosystem to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to achieve their sustainability goals and ambitions."
Extending ABB’s sustainability commitments
With targets to cut Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2030, combined with a 25 percent reduction of Scope 3 emissions, transparent and high-quality data is essential – both internally and for the customers and industries we serve. This AI-driven PCF tool delivers exactly that: quick, reliable carbon data to quantify upstream emissions to make confident purchasing decisions.
What once took hours of manual calculation can now be completed in minutes, delivering verified, comparable data across different motor designs and technologies at the point of decision. As sustainability requirements tighten and supply chain transparency expectations rise across industries, that speed and reliability will carry real commercial value.
Turning data into decisions
The granularity of insight the tool provides is just as compelling as the speed with which it is delivered. Take a 315 kW motor as an example: the upstream carbon emissions of a synchronous reluctance (SynRM) design are approximately 10 percent lower than those of a cast iron induction motor of equivalent power rating. At the 7.5 kW level, the same SynRM technology delivers more than 20 percent lower upstream emissions compared to a cast iron induction motor. This kind of comparative visibility – available instantly and spanning the upstream manufacturing phase – gives procurement and engineering teams a valuable foundation for choosing technologies that align with their ESG goals.
“At ABB, we have long been at the forefront of energy-efficient low voltage motor technology – helping industries reduce carbon emissions across the full operating lifetime of their equipment”, said Santanu Singha, Division Sustainability Manager, IEC Low Voltage motors, ABB. “This PoC completes that picture. By extending transparency back to the manufacturing stage, we will be able to achieve a comprehensive view of a motor’s environmental footprint from production through to operation.”
A model for open innovation
Beyond the technology itself, this PoC reflects a broader commitment to collaborative innovation. The partnership with Unravel Carbon is testament to what becomes possible when global industrial expertise meets agile, AI-native thinking: solutions that are technically robust and deployable at the speed that today's decarbonization goals demand.
