Promoting social progress
2021 was also a year in which ABB made strong progress in creating an even more diverse and inclusive working environment. The proportion of women in senior management positions increased to 16.3 percent, up from 13.5 percent in the previous year. In line with its Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2030, ABB aims to increase this proportion to 25 percent. ABB introduced a new worldwide gender-neutral parental leave program, granting all ABB employees around the world 12 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers and four weeks for second caregivers. The Group contributed also to social progress through more than 400 community-building initiatives, focused on education, diversity and inclusion and care in the community.
For the first time in ten years, ABB recorded no work-related fatalities in 2021. In addition, lost time from injuries was reduced by 44 percent, underlining the company’s efforts to continuously advance its world-class safety practices, an integral part of its sustainability ambitions.
Driving integrity and transparency
ABB is continuously strengthening its governance and integrity programs. Operating with integrity and transparency includes responsibly sourcing materials. To further strengthen sustainability in its supply chain, ABB has introduced the new "Sustainable Supply Base Management", which covers all aspects of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. ABB’s target is to cover 80 percent of its supply spending in focus countries based on the new system by 2030.
ABB is also linking ESG targets to senior management incentive awards to meets its 2030 sustainability targets. The ESG "boundary condition" for 2021 was the setting of strategic and implementation plans outlining the key actions and activities required to reduce or compensate for GHG scope 1 and 2 emissions to achieve carbon neutrality in ABB’s own operations by 2030 (vs. a 2019 baseline). At the end of the year, the Board of Directors determined that the terms for this condition had been fully met.
