Partnership Set to Reduce Carbon Footprint of ABB’s Industrial Products
The partnership with Boliden is integral to ABB’s strategic ambition to reduce the environmental impact of raw materials used in its products by replacing them with lower-carbon alternatives. Apart from using recycled copper, ABB has committed to increasing the use of recycled electric steel and recycled aluminium.
The cooperation includes ABB placing the first order for Boliden’s certified recycled copper through Finnish metals manufacturing specialist Luvata. Hollow conductor wire made from the material will be used in ABB’s EMS products for steel and aluminium manufacturing.
Furthermore, as of 2023, ABB will purchase Boliden’s low-carbon and recycled copper to cover the demand for its IE5 Ultra- Premium Efficiency SynRM and e-mobility motors produced in Europe.
Copper is a vital material for manufacturing industrial electrical equipment, but its production is energy intensive. To address this, Boliden has developed low-carbon copper that is mined using fossil-free energy and also produces copper using secondary raw material from recycled products. The carbon footprint of these products is 65% lower than the industry average. A typical 75kW motor weighing 650kg might include 80kg of copper. Using Boliden’s copper saves approximately 200kg of CO2 emissions for every one of these motors manufactured. Each stirrer has up to 2,700kg of copper, saving up to 6,700kg of CO2 per stirrer.