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• ABB leads mining industry in publishing Environmental Product Declaration for ring motor based on a comprehensive life cycle assessment;
• Product status highlights ABB’s long-term commitment to sustainability and transparency.
ABB has achieved an industry first by gaining Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) status for the Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor, an essential technology used to drive large grinding mills in the mining industry and built for the global market in Bilbao, Spain. An EPD is a standardized document that provides detailed information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle.
Based on a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, the EPD highlights ABB’s commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility and supporting customers in making informed decisions on sustainability in their supply chains.
ABB analyzed the environmental impact of a ring motor across its entire life cycle from supply chain and production to usage and end-of-life disposal. The study was conducted for a ring motor of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill with an installed power of 24 MW and was based on a reference service life of 25 years.
“Sustainability is at the core of our purpose at ABB, influencing how we operate and innovate for customers,” said Andrea Quinta, Sustainability Specialist at ABB. “By earning the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for our ring motor, we emphasise our environmental stewardship and industry leadership for this technology. We adhered to the highest standards throughout this process, as we do in the ABB Ring Motor factory every day. This recognition highlights to the mining industry what they are bringing into their own operations when they work with ABB.”
The comprehensive LCA was conducted at ABB’s factory in Bilbao and was externally verified and published in accordance with international standards, ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. It will remain valid for five years.
The ring motor, a key component of the GMD, is a drive system without any gears where the transmission of the torque between the motor and the mill is done through the magnetic field in the air gap between the motor stator and the motor rotor. It optimizes grinding applications in the minerals and mining industries by enabling variable-speed operation, leading to significant energy and cost savings.
ABB's commitment to sustainability is highlighted through its Real Progress initiative and the publication of the EPD directly shows how GMD solutions reduce environmental impact while enhancing performance. This aligns with insights from ABB’s white paper ‘Unleashing the Power of Gearless Technology’, which emphasizes the role of GMDs in driving innovation, performance, and sustainability in mining.
The full EPD for the ABB GMD Ring Motor can be viewed on EPD International
ABB (abb.com) is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide.
ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun leaner and cleaner.
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chris.g.brand[.]gb.abb.com 
