As industries face mounting pressure to decarbonise not just operations but entire supply chains, attention is turning to how motors are built in the first place. It's no longer enough to optimise performance at the plug; we also need to tackle what goes into the housing, windings, and rotor – down to the last gram of copper or steel.
This is where circularity comes in. The next chapter of sustainable motor design is all about reducing emissions across the full life cycle, from raw materials and manufacturing to end-of-life recycling or recovery.
ABB has found that it’s possible to cut carbon and boost recyclability without compromising on the reliability for which motors are known. And in doing so, we’re reengineering expectations for what sustainable industrial design can look like.
Circularity starts at the drawing board
Electric motors may not grab headlines, but they’re a quiet revolution in the making. These machines are already more than 98 percent recyclable and built primarily from high-value metals, plus they can operate for upwards of 15 years. But sustainability doesn’t end with efficiency
or longevity. In fact, that’s just the beginning.
While operational efficiency still matters – especially as energy usage accounts for 97 percent of a motor’s life cycle cost – more environmental weight is now being placed on how a motor is made, not just how it runs. That’s why we evaluate sustainability not just post-installation, but at the beginning with the building blocks of the motor itself.
ABB embeds sustainability into product development using a structured life cycle approach, backed by ISO 14040 and 14044 standards and commercial life cycle assessment (LCA) tools.
These standards provide a common language for benchmarking and allow design teams to weigh performance, material use, and emissions impact even before a single prototype is built. That’s real circular thinking, engineered from day one.
Reducing emissions from the inside out
What goes into the motor matters just as much as what comes out. One of ABB’s proudest breakthroughs has been the use of a new low-carbon electrical steel (e-steel), made using renewable energy and factory-floor innovation that reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent compared to
standard steel.
ABB has extended this approach to other components as well, including a motor shaft made with up to 99 percent recycled steel – already in use within specific motor ranges and now backed by supplier scrap certificates and LCA data confirming its lower carbon footprint.
ABB’s collaboration with Swedish mining and smelting company Boliden has opened up new opportunities for using low-carbon and recycled copper in its high-efficiency synchronous reluctance (SynRM) motors.
The numbers speak for themselves. A typical 75kW motor weighing around 650kg contains approximately 80kg of copper. Using Boliden’s low-carbon copper cuts roughly 200kg of carbon emissions per unit.
With over 5,000 motors already in operation, that’s roughly 1,000 tons of carbon emissions saved. Cleaner copper, it turns out, delivers power and carbon savings in equal measure.
Redefining what design can do
Even though the data says otherwise, some still believe sustainable design means compromising on performance or durability.
When ABB developed its prototype circular motor, it pushed material circularity to its limit, using e-steel, recycled copper, and low-carbon bearings, while still modelling a cradle-to-gate carbon
footprint reduction of up to 60 percent. ABB considers it a redefinition of what’s possible when sustainability and engineering pull in the same direction.
Of course, using recycled content adds complexity. Material purity can affect thermal performance and mechanical strength. That’s why every material, whether recycled or not, is required to meet ABB’s performance and quality standards, supported by Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and third-party audits. From lab testing to stress-testing full prototypes, we don’t believe in shortcuts.
End of life, not end of the line
A circular approach starts with smart design, but it’s what happens at end-of-life that closes the loop. When an ABB motor retires, it doesn’t rust away in landfill. It’s disassembled, and its individual parts are sent to facilities where valuable metals like copper and aluminium can be recovered.
Most of the time, those same materials make their way back through our supply chain and can be implemented in new motors.
The process isn’t without its snags. Rare-earth metals, for example, are often mixed during bulk recycling, but there’s no denying the potential. To push
things further, ABB has implemented take-back and recycling programs in several countries.
These initiatives reduce the risk of motors being refurbished in unregulated environments, where safety and performance aren’t top priorities. But they also offer powerful opportunities for decarbonisation.
When metals like copper, aluminium and steel are recovered through verified recycling partners, it can really move the needle on environmental impact.
ABB’s estimates show that recycling just 10 tons of motors could save around 30 tons of CO2 emissions, 300MWh of energy, and 91,000m³ of water.
By improving traceability and ensuring proper end-of-life processing, these programmes give materials a second, fully certified life and help build a more resource-efficient supply chain.
Designing the future in circles, not lines
The linear economy of "take, make, waste" is long past its sell-by date. If we’re to make real progress on climate and resource goals, industry must embrace the new three R’s: reuse, recovery, and reinvention. And the electric motor – universal, durable, and now smarter than ever – can lead the charge.
Modern engineering no longer has to choose between performance, longevity, and environmental responsibility. With the right approach, it can deliver all three. The next steps are clear: smart design, circular production, and keeping materials in motion for longer.