ABB launched a series of sustainability objectives in late 2009, designed to strengthen the company’s environmental, health and safety, social, human rights and security performance. These objectives, which cover the next two years, reflect ABB’s sustainability priorities across the full range of business processes.
The Sustainability Affairs function carried out wide ranging dialogue and mapping in 2009, mainly with internal stakeholders – including country sustainability controllers, key business managers, and top management – as well as some external stakeholders. The result is a series of objectives and processes for achieving them with full management buy-in.
The objectives focus on three main areas: Raising ABB's environmental performance and lowering impacts; improving the management of health and safety, social, environmental and security risks in company operations and projects; and ways of improving sustainability performance in the supply chain and in company acquisitions.
The focus areas of the objectives were determined using a risk and opportunity assessment across ABB's business processes to ensure that sustainability efforts fully focus on helping ABB do better business.
| Sustainability Objectives 2010-2011 |
|---|
| 1. All sites to reduce use of energy by 2.5% annually |
| 2. Develop guidelines to monitor the environmental impact of transport of goods |
| 3. Monitor and reduce environmental impact from business air travel |
| 4. Phase out the use of hazardous substances in ABB’s products and processes |
| 5. Ensure that environmental and health and safety aspects are considered in product development |
| 6. Early assessment of social, security, OHS and environmental risk in ABB’s project risk management process, to better manage sensitive projects |
| 7. Due diligence on all security companies according to ABB standards |
| 8. Ensure rapid response capability and enable ABB in risk-rated countries to prepare and respond to potential threats |
| 9. Develop ABB travel system into a more supportive system for ABB |
| 10. Continue to pursue the eight elements of the Occupational Health and Safety Plan 2008-2011 |
| 11. Increase monitoring of key potential and existing suppliers to ensure they meet national and international sustainability standards |
| 12. Extend social, environmental, human rights, and health, safety and security risk assessment in merger and acquisition processes |