ABB Energy Industries Service’s circularity programme reduced the amount of electronic waste returned by customers that it sent to landfill by 93% over four years.
Data collected by ABB Energy Industries Service and its recycling partners show of 32,000 faulty items processed, 214.5 kg went to landfill in 2020 but fell to 14.2 kg by the end of 2023.
ABB said the Parts Circularity Programme focuses on the repair, reuse and recycling of faulty parts to extend their life, help reduce waste, and conserve resources that could be used to manufacture new parts.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul Sundt, Service Segment Manager at ABB Energy Industries, said: “The success of this programme has already been proven at industrial plants around the world where our customers have service agreements that enable them to play an active role in striving for a circular economy.”
Approximately 62 million tonnes of electronic waste is generated globally, with this figure estimated to rise to 82 million tons in 2030.
ABB said its programme aims to reduce the amount of electronic scrap sent to landfill by offering complete traceability for every old or faulty part returned by customers.
ABB collaborates with recycling companies Stena Recycling in Europe and Ohio Drop Off in the US on the programme.
Both companies provide certified reports that assess the material properties of each part across various categories that ABB customers return.
ABB also offers financial incentives for customers to exchange faulty parts for remanufactured or refurbished ones.
In some cases, ABB said returned parts are disassembled, cleaned, inspected, reconditioned and reassembled to create remanufactured parts.
Marie-Hélène Westholm-Knebel, Global Head of Sustainability at ABB Energy Industries, commented: “End-to-end traceability and extending the lifecycle of our products is crucial, especially in the face of a rising global demand for critical materials.
“Without the transformation of production and consumption models to support the circular economy, we cannot meaningfully preserve natural resources and cut emissions.
“Our collaborations with recycling partners ensure that sustainability standards are upheld from the very beginning to the final stage of a product’s lifecycle.”
