Mining Automation Giant ABB has Sustainability in Sights

ABB is a leading global engineering company that self-styles itself as "energising the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future".Smartphones, cars, solar panels and even cleaning products depend on the raw materials produced by the mining industry.

ABB has been involved with the mining industry for more than 60 years, providing services and solutions to help mines become more sustainable, safe, and productive:  

• Automation  It has been at the forefront of automating mining technologies, including ultra-long-distance conveying and large processing plant technologies. ABB's first mine automation system was delivered in 1975.  

• Digital services  ABB offers advanced digital services that allow remote monitoring of plants, collection and analysis of data, and remote expert support. ABB's digital fleet management system monitors the location and operational state of equipment.  

• Predictive maintenance  ABB offers predictive maintenance tools to help mining companies avoid delays and breakdowns.  

Here, Erich Labuda, President of Motion Services Division at ABB discusses circularity, zero waste principles and collaboration versus competition in the machinery industry. 

What first interested you in sustainability?

I was always interested in sustainability. When I joined ABB, there was a slogan: “Power and Productivity for a Better World”. So I got started with that and, at the time, ABB had several assignments around micro batteries, so you learn more and more.

And then I got to go into an interesting programme about the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development). This was a future sustainability leaders programme, so I learned even more. And once you're in, you start to figure out more and more and more, and then basically you just make your way and become an expert in the team.

What sustainability innovations excite you?

First and foremost, I must say 10 years ago such talk was very modest and low. These days everyone is talking about sustainability. So I think the number one trend is public awareness. People demand sustainability now. Second, what I see is people chase for the best possible solution that technology offers. And specifically in my field, it's all about energy efficiency.

How can Sustainability LIVE contribute to sustainability action?

If you really want to drive sustainability forward, I think the most important thing is people. Such events bring people together, and there is nothing that can substitute for personal contact.

So I think this is a terrific opportunity to really get connected with other experts from other industries, exchange best practices and really start benchmarking yourself: what are we doing, what are others doing? And as well, maybe learning something completely new that you didn't have at all on the radar. So, I think it’s an excellent event to really foster this collaboration.

How will ABB sustainability practices change over time?

We've set ourselves a Sustainability Strategy 2030, however, we've been making huge steps forward over the last couple of years, specifically on our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions which we drastically reduced while we were looking into our processes.

Second is the talk about zero waste to landfill. It's an extremely important topic for companies like us. We are committed to reduce it wherever possible by 2030 to zero. 

And last but not least, I think a topic that is yet a little bit not on the radar, but still people start to talk: circularity. I don't want to conflate it with recycling. Circularity is so much more than that.

So really thinking from the very first day on how this product can contribute to a circular society; reparability, serviceability and long lifetime is something which so far we have not enough ingrained, but we are actively driving that, not only us but as well together our customers and partners.
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