Materials

To reduce and, where possible, eliminate the use of hazardous materials from our operations, we rely on the ABB List of Prohibited and Restricted Substances. This list applies to every aspect of our operations, including procurement, product development, production processes, products, packaging materials, service activities and construction sites.

This is a heavily regulated area of activity, and we update the list twice yearly in keeping with local and international regulations and legislation. These include the TSCA, Prop 65, REACH, RoHS, POP and other local material compliance legislation, both within and beyond the European Union. We are also tracking likely future regulatory requirements regarding PFASs in the EU and the United States, DPP in the EU, and the ECO design regulatory requirements that will come into force in 2025.

We have developed a companion guide to the list to help ABB’s suppliers meet their obligations – which include partnering with us to identify and prevent restricted substances from entering ABB’s supply chain. In addition, ABB’s Global Terms and Conditions for suppliers and our Supplier Code of Conduct address prohibited and restricted substances in the context of regulatory compliance.

In 2022, we launched 13 new projects to reduce and phase out the use of hazardous substances. The reduction of hazardous substances is typically addressed on a site-by-site basis because of the variety and specialized nature of our Group’s products and processes.

ABB’s four business areas have full ownership of their respective product material compliance obligations, which include the EU requirements for chemicals and products listed in the Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database.