- More than 90 percent of manufacturing and service sites are managed in accordance with ISO 14001 resulting in less use of hazardous materials, energy and other resources
- Approximately 200 manufacturing sites have integrated environmental, quality and health and safety management systems
- ABB regularly sets new enivronmental objectives, as part of efforts to improve performance
All industrial activities have varying degrees of environmental impact caused by emissions, waste, and the use of energy and materials that result in pollution and depletion of natural resources. ABB has been working for many years to reduce its impacts, both within its own plants and offices, and those caused by its products.
As part of these efforts, ABB now uses less material and energy, streamlines its means of transportation and is making increased efforts to design products that can be recycled.
To ensure continual improvement, ABB requires all manufacturing facilities to comply with the requirements of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, and has integrated these standards, as well as those covering quality, into everyday business activities.
But management systems alone are not enough. ABB has therefore developed Intranet-based tools and procedures to make these systems more effective. One example is the company’s list of prohibited and restricted substances, supported with guidelines on the phasing out of hazardous materials.
Improving performance starts in the design phase of new products and processes. Tools and training are provided for design engineers to carry out environmental Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to assess a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle. An LCA indicates where improvements can be made, for example in areas relating to material selection, energy efficiency and recycling.
To foster continual improvement as required by ISO 14001, ABB regularly sets Group-wide environmental objectives which address significant environmental aspects of its operations. Results are monitored continually and the objectives redefined annually.
A multinational company such as ABB benefits from the economy of scale, which permits the sharing of best practices between approximately 350 sites in 48 countries. For example, water-based painting systems have been developed at one site and then transferred to others to reduce emissions of organic solvents.
Overall, transfers of best practices have resulted in lower emissions, less waste, significant cost savings and safer working environments, leading to cleaner production processes.