ABB’s approach to the Sustainable Development Goals

How ABB can support the realization of the SDGs

SDG 3 – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

ABB’s contribution:

  • Community engagement programs worldwide focused on healthcare, e.g. in India, South Africa, Unites States
  • Global health and safety program covering ABB employees and contractors with country-specific programs on health and occupational health

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • People and society
  • Safe and secure operations

SDG 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

ABB’s contribution:

  • Community engagement programs worldwide focused on education, e.g. in Brazil, China, Nordic countries
  • ABB Jürgen Dormann Foundation provides scholarships to electrical engineering students who need financial support to be able to continue their studies. Scholarships have been awarded in Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam
  • ABB supports employees’ development and offers opportunities to help them realize their potential, including through leadership development programs for first line, middle and senior managers

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objective:

  • People and society

SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

ABB’s contribution:

  • Group-wide framework for diversity and inclusion, including a roadmap for recruiting and promoting more women and strengthening female representation in senior management positions
  • Country level plans to recruit and support women engineers, e.g. in India, Sweden and the US
  • ABB partnership with The Women’s Forum since 2012

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objective:

  • People and society

SDG 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB provides a range of solutions across the entire water cycle for industrial and potable uses, helping to increase efficiency of water supply, use, recycling and treatment.
  • ABB has developed an innovative solution that uses solar power as a reliable energy source for pumping water. Systems are used for are being used in community water supplies, fish farming and agriculture, forestry, and wastewater treatment engineering.
  • ABB is committed to water resource management in its own operations

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • Resource efficiency

SDG 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB has a long heritage of technological innovation in renewable energy, efficiency and sustainable transport. We are working to broaden the impact of clean technologies – for a better world.
  • ABB is committed to increase its revenue from energy efficiency-related products, systems and services by 20 percent by 2020
  • ABB’s “Access to Electricity” initiative focuses on bringing power to remote communities. Several off-grid rural electrification projects have been developed in Tanzania and India.
  • ABB is committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy intensity in its operations between 2013 and 2020.
  • ABB partners with the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative in the area of energy efficiency

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • People and society
  • Energy efficiency and climate change

SDG 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB invests significantly in R&D, with corporate research centers in seven countries, including China and India. ABB products, systems and services increase energy efficiency, reliability and productivity for industrial, utility and infrastructure customers.
  • Through its Social and Human Rights Policies and Supplier Code of Conduct, ABB is committed to supporting and respecting the protection of national and international human rights laws, and internationally proclaimed human rights.
  • ABB is committed to improving energy and resource efficiency in its own operations

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • People and society
  • Human rights
  • Responsible sourcing
  • Energy efficiency and climate change
  • Resource efficiency

SDG 9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB invests significantly in R&D, with corporate research centers in seven countries, including China and India.
  • ABB has a long heritage of technological innovation in renewable energy, efficiency and sustainable transport. We are working to broaden the impact of clean technologies – for a better world.
  • ABB is committed to increase its revenue from energy efficiency-related products, systems and services by 20 percent by 2020
  • ABB is committed to reducing GHG emission and improving energy and resource efficiency in its own operations

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • Energy efficiency and climate change

SDG 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB’s power and automation technologies for sustainable transportation are helping to deliver urban mobility to meet increasing demands faced by modern cities
  • ABB products and solutions provide solid foundations for smart cities; supporting critical infrastructure from the supply of power, water and heat, to the automation of the factories and buildings we work in
  • ABB is committed to improving energy and resource efficiency in its own operations

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • Resource efficiency

SDG 12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

ABB’s contribution:

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • Responsible sourcing
  • Resource efficiency
  • Right materials

SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

ABB’s contribution:

  • ABB has a long heritage of technological innovation in renewable energy, efficiency and sustainable transport. We are working to broaden the impact of clean technologies – for a better world.
  • ABB is committed to increase its revenue from energy efficiency-related products, systems and services by 20 percent by 2020
  • ABB is committed to a 20 percent reduction in energy intensity in its operations between 2013 and 2020.
  • ABB promotes energy efficiency and partners with others, such as the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative; the Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative; Caring for Climate

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • Products and services
  • People and society
  • Energy efficiency and climate change

SDG 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

ABB’s contribution:

  • Through its Social and Human Rights Policies and Supplier Code of Conduct, ABB is committed to supporting and respecting the protection of national and international human rights laws, and internationally proclaimed human rights.
  • ABB is committed to a high standard of integrity which is expected of every employee and in every country where ABB does business

Relevant ABB Sustainability Objectives:

  • People and society
  • Human rights
  • Integrity
  • Responsible sourcing