Principal memberships

ABB is a member of Amnesty International’s Business Group which gives advice to member companies on business-related human rights matters and organizes round-table discussions for its members to share experience and best practice.. Web site: http://www.amnesty.org/

Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights(BLIHR), U.K.

ABB was one of the founding members of this initiative, launched in 2003 to help lead and develop the corporate response to human rights and now comprising 14 international companies. BLIHR believes in finding practical ways of applying the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within a business context and inspiring other businesses to do likewise. In 2006, ABB supported one of the key areas of BLIHR’s work – drawing up guidelines on good business governance in sensitive countries. ABB specialists also represented BLIHR’s interests at a number of international conferences on business and human rights issues. Web site: http://www.blihr.org/

Centre for Environmental Assessment of Product and Material (CPM), Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

CPM is a national competence center dedicated to sustainable product development. It is jointly funded by industry, VINNOVA (the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems), and Chalmers. ABB is a board member. Web site: http://www.cpm.chalmers.se/

CSR Europe, Belgium

Corporate Social Responsibility Europe is a leading European business network for corporate social responsibility with over 60 multinational corporations as members. Since its inception in 1995, its mission has been to help companies integrate corporate social responsibility into the way they do business. ABB took part in CSR Europe’s international “Market Place” in 2006. Web site: http://www.csreurope.org/

Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP), U.S.

The partnership was formally launched at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme are important drivers of the initiative. The intention is to build a coalition to help bring energy to the 1 - 2 billion people who currently lack it. GVEP addresses both urban and rural communities and focuses on action plans, knowledge exchange, capacity development, financing facilitation and results monitoring. ABB is a registered partner in GVEP. Web site: http://www.gvepinternational.org/

Global Reporting Initiative, Netherlands

The GRI is a multi-stakeholder process which started in 1997 and became an independent institution in 2002. The initiative has the active support and engagement of representatives from business, non-profit advocacy groups, accounting bodies, investor organizations, trade unions and others. These constituencies have worked together to build a consensus on a set of sustainability reporting guidelines with the aim of achieving worldwide acceptance. Over 1,000 organizations now use the GRI Guidelines. In 2006, ABB attended the conference to launch Version 3 of the Guidelines, which it has used as the basis for the 2006 Sustainability review. Web site: http://www.globalreporting.org/

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),Switzerland

ABB was one of seven companies which founded the ICRC Corporate Support Group in October 2005. The group consists of companies committed to supporting financially the ICRC’s humanitarian mission over a six-year period. The agreement also provides for exchanges between the ICRC and its partners in areas of mutual interest such as risk management, human resources development and training, logistics, information technology and communication. There were several exchanges during 2006. Web site: http://www.icrc.org/

International Institute for Management Development (IMD),Switzerland

IMD, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is one of the world’s leading business schools with over 50 years of experience in developing the leadership capabilities of international business executives. ABB is a corporate sponsor and active participant in IMD’s Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management, and took part in a number of IMD-organized activities in 2006. Web site: http://www.imd.ch/

International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Switzerland

The ISO is responsible for standardization in all fields except electrical and electronic engineering. ABB’s corporate staff for sustainability affairs is a member of Technical Committee 207dealing with international standards for environmental management. Web site: http://www.iso.org/


oikos is an international student organization for sustainable economics and management, founded in 1987 at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and now present in some 20 universities in 14 countries. Web site: http://www.oikosinternational.org/

Pew Center on Global Climate Change, U.S.

ABB is one of nearly 40 companies on the Business Environmental Leadership Council. The Pew Charitable Trust established the organization in 1998 to bring together "ingenuity and experience of all sectors of our society - private, public, and non-governmental organizations" to to work together to protect the climate while sustaining economic growth.Web site: http://www.pewclimate.org/

Transparency International, Germany

The global non-governmental organization, founded in 1993, is dedicated to fighting corruption. ABB is a group contributor and donor and was one of ten international companies to sign a set of "Business Principles for Countering Bribery in the Engineering and Construction Industry" at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in 2004 in Davos, Switzerland. The principles were developed by a multinational task force of engineering and construction companies, including ABB, working with the World Economic Forum, the BaselInstitute on Governance, and Transparency International. Web site: http://www.transparency.org/

United Nations Global Compact, U.S.

ABB was one of the 50 companies that supported the inaugural launch of the Global Compact in New York in July 2000. The membership now stands at over 3,000. The Compact is a platform for encouraging and promoting good corporate practices and learning experiences in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. ABB supported Global Compact initiatives on several occasions in 2006, including the UNGC’s Learning Forum in Ghana. Web site: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Switzerland

Established in January 1995, the WBCSD is a coalition of nearly 200 international companies drawn from 35 countries and 20 major industrial sectors, and united by a shared commitment to sustainable development via the three pillars of economic growth, ecological balance and social progress. ABB is an active member of the Council and helped in 2006 to produce its “Powering a sustainable future” report. Web site:http://www.wbcsd.ch/

WWF, Switzerland

One of the world’s largest and most effective organizations devoted to the conservation of nature, operating in around 100 countries and supported by nearly five million individuals. ABB is currently working on three projects with WWF: on energy efficiency, Access to Electricity in Tanzania and sustainability risk assessment in Indonesia. Web site: http://www.wwf.org/