ABB’s MCR1000 High-Power Rectifier (HPR) has received an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) following completion of a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), providing customers with independently verified environmental information on the product. The MCR1000 is the first rectifier in ABB’s global HPR portfolio to complete both LCA and EPD certification. The certification provides environmental data that customers can use for sustainability reporting, procurement assessments and carbon-reduction programmes.
The move comes as industrial companies face increasing requirements to measure and report emissions across their supply chains. Regulations such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are also increasing the need for reliable environmental information for industrial products and technologies.
Developed with ABB’s global research and development teams and manufactured at the company’s Shanghai HPR factory, the MCR1000 is used in high-power conversion applications across energy-intensive industries. These include steel, non-ferrous metals, green hydrogen and chemicals.
Ralph Burgener, Global Business Unit Manager for High-Power Rectifier, ABB Process Industries, said customers increasingly need clear information about the environmental impact of industrial technologies. He said the EPD certification represents an important milestone for ABB’s approach to life-cycle assessment and provides customers with verified environmental data to support their own sustainability and decarbonisation objectives.
The EPD was prepared in accordance with internationally recognised ISO standards and is based on an assessment covering the product’s complete life cycle. The evaluation includes raw material extraction, component manufacturing, assembly, transportation, operation and end-of-life recycling.
ABB used SimaPro software and the Ecoinvent database for the assessment. The process provides information on environmental impacts at different stages of the product life cycle and can help ABB identify opportunities to improve materials, manufacturing processes and future product designs.
The certification also strengthens ABB’s focus on life-cycle carbon footprint management and greater environmental transparency in industrial technology. The MCR1000 is based on ABB’s Swiss-developed MCR platform and is one of the company’s key solutions for high-power conversion applications. The platform was localised and further developed in China in 2012 and has since been deployed across several energy-intensive industries.
More than 300 MCR systems have been installed worldwide since 1999, reflecting the platform’s long-standing presence in high-power industrial applications. ABB said the new EPD will enable customers to access verified environmental information when evaluating technologies for new projects, procurement programmes and decarbonisation initiatives.
The certification comes as manufacturers increasingly incorporate environmental performance into investment and purchasing decisions. By providing independently verified life-cycle data, ABB aims to help customers assess the environmental impact of high-power rectification technology alongside technical and economic considerations.
ABB is a global technology company focused on electrification and automation. With more than 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide, the company provides technologies for industrial and infrastructure applications. Its Automation business serves process, hybrid and maritime industries through automation, electrification and digitalisation solutions.
