Glossary

Acidification. Chemical alteration of the environment, resulting in hydrogen ions being produced more rapidly than they are dispersed or neutralized. Occurs mainly through fallout of sulfur and nitrogen compounds from combustion processes. Acidification can be harmful to terrestrial and aquatic life.

Air pollution. Accumulation in the atmosphere of substances that, in sufficient concentration, endanger human health or produce other measurable effects on living matter and other materials. Major pollutants include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulates, sulfur dioxide, and photochemical oxidants, including ozone.

Asbestos. The name of certain silicate minerals when they occur in fibrous form. Asbestos fibers can be processed into materials that are uniquely resistant to fire, heat, and corrosion. However, asbestos’s extremely fine fibers are easily inhaled, and exposure to them over a period of years has been linked to cancers. The manufacture, use, and disposal of asbestos are strictly regulated in most countries.

Biodiversity. The totality of genes, species and ecosystems in a region or in the world.

Biomass. A fuel produced by living organisms, for example, wood and timber waste. Cf. fossil fuels.

Business ethics. Moral principles concerning acceptable and unacceptable behavior by corporations and individual business people. Corporate executives are obliged to maintain a high sense of values and conduct honest and fair practices with all stakeholders.

Cadmium, Cd. A cumulatively toxic element used in the manufacture of batteries, for electroplating, in alloys (such as lead alloys), and in circuit-board contacts.

Carbon, C. A nonmetallic element found widely in nature. Carbon compounds make up approximately 18 percent of all living matter (the remainder being mostly water). During the past century, carbon-based fuels provided most of the world’s energy needs.

Carbon dioxide, CO₂. A colorless gas that occurs in the atmosphere as part of nature’s cycle. Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, can increase levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is believed to affect the climate. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas on account of the high volumes released.

CFCs. See Freons.

Chloroparaffins or chlorinated paraffins. Highly complex and stable organic compounds containing chlorine. Resistant to degradation and oxidation. They are used as softeners in plastics and rubber, as flame-retardants and as components of cutting fluids in metalworking. Harmful primarily to aquatic life.

Climate. The average weather (usually calculated over a 30 year time-span) for a particular region and period. Climate is not the same as weather; rather it is the average pattern of weather for a particular region. Weather describes the short-term state of the atmosphere.

Climate change or global climate change. Sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency; in other cases used as a synonym for global warming.

Cogeneration or combined heat and power. The process by which two different and useful forms of energy are produced at the same time. For example, the heat from fuel burned in a power station can first create steam to turn a turbine and generate electricity; and can then be used to warm or cool buildings.

Corporate governance. The system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants (such as the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders), and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs.

Eco-efficiency. The combination of efficiency and ecological aspects in the pursuit of sustainable development. An environmental management program is an instrument for achieving eco-efficiency.

Ecotoxicity. The potential of a substance to harm ecosystems.
Usually refers to the toxic effect on aquatic organisms based on maximum tolerable concentrations.

Emission. Release or discharge of any substances (usually effluents or pollutants) into the environment.

Emissions trading. A mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, proposed in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Emitters of a particular pollutant (most often carbon dioxide) are given permits to release a specified number of tons of the pollutant. These permits are issued by governments or trading agencies, in limited quantities corresponding to the desired level of emissions. Permit owners may keep them and release the pollutants, or reduce their emissions accordingly and sell the permits. The fact that permits have a value and can be sold or traded gives owners an incentive to reduce emissions.

Environmental aspects. Elements of an organization’s activities, goods or services that can affect the environment.

Environmental impact. Any change to the environment, whether harmful or beneficial, resulting from an organization’s activities, products, or services, or from human activities in general.

Environmental management system (EMS). A documented set of rules, processes etc. by which an organization runs its environmental policy. One of the main requirements for certification to ISO 14001.

Environmental performance. The measurable results actually attained by an organization through its environmental management system(s).

Environmental product declaration (EPD). A description of the aspects and impacts of a product, system or service over its entire life, from raw material extraction, through manufacturing and use, to end-of-life disposal or recycling.

Epoxy. A group of synthetic resins used in the manufacture of electrical insulating materials, adhesives, coatings and structural laminates. Low-molecular-weight epoxy resins may be skin sensitizers.

Eutrophication. Nutrient enrichment of bodies of water by nitrates and phosphates from organic material or surface runoff. This stimulates the growth of aquatic plants and can cause algal blooms that deoxygenate water and smother other aquatic life.

Flexible mechanisms. International instruments proposed in the Kyoto Protocol. They would allow credits for climate change mitigation, and permits for greenhouse gas emissions, to be traded between parties to the Protocol. See also Emissions trading.

Fossil fuels. Hydrocarbon-based fuels formed by the decomposition of (mainly prehistoric) flora and fauna. Examples include oil, natural gas, coal, tar sands and peat.

Freons. Also known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), this is a group of halogenated hydrocarbons: hydrocarbons whose molecules have one or more hydrogen atoms replaced by halogens (chlorine and/or fluorine). Formerly used widely as coolants, and expanding agents in insulation foam. As they contribute to depletion of the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect, their use is now banned in many countries.

GF–SA (Group Function - Sustainability Affairs). ABB’s central sustainability staff, which reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for running ABB’s sustainability management program.

Global Compact (UNGC). A United Nations-sponsored platform for encouraging and promoting good corporate practices and learning experiences in the areas of human rights, labor and the environment. Its principles derive from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization’s fundamental principles on rights at work, and the Agenda 21 principles on the environment and development.

Global warming. The increase in the Earth’s mean temperature that is, or is believed to be, occurring as a result of human activities affecting the Earth’s atmosphere.

Global warming potential (GWP). An index that shows the relative effects of various greenhouse gases in increasing global warming. GWPs are calculated as the amount of infra-red radiation absorbed by one kg of a gas over a period of 100 years. The GWP of carbon dioxide is one; the GWP of sulfur hexafluoride is 24,900.

Greenhouse effect. The effect on the Earth’s surface temperature of certain variable constituents of the lower atmosphere. The greenhouse effect keeps surface temperatures at a global average of around 15°C; in its absence, the global average would be below freezing. Environmental scientists are concerned that increases in the atmosphere’s content of greenhouse gases (principally CO₂), caused by human activities, could have a dangerous warming effect on the Earth’s atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases. Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. The most significant are carbon dioxide (CO₂), water vapor (H₂O), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), freons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆).

Hazardous waste. Waste requiring special disposal techniques. Definitions, regulations, and national standards vary from country to country.

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). A non-governmental organization founded in 1919 to promote trade, investment and the free market system. The ICC helps the international business community develop solutions for environmental problems, while striving to ensure that intergovernmental organizations concerned with the environment consider business views.

ISO 14000. A series of international standards covering various environmental issues. They include ISO 14001, which specifies environmental management systems; and ISO 14040, which covers Life Cycle Assessment.

Joint implementation. Agreements made between two or more nations under the auspices of the Framework Convention on Climate Change to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Kyoto Protocol. A legally binding agreement under which industrialized countries will reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent. The agreement was reached in Kyoto on December 11, 1997, and has been amended in subsequent rounds of negotiation. It is now in the process of ratification.

Lead, Pb. A metallic element used in many industrial processes. Accumulates in biological systems and is linked to behavioral change, paralysis and blindness.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A management tool for appraising and quantifying the total lifetime environmental impact of a product or activity, by analyzing the entire life cycle of the materials, processes, products, technologies, services or activities it involves. Life Cycle Assessment has three components – inventory analysis, impact analysis and improvement analysis.

Mercury, Hg. A heavy metal used in catalysts, instruments and in the paper industry, and released by the combustion of fossil fuels. Organic mercury compounds, such as methyl mercury, act as cumulative poisons that affect the nervous system.

Nitrogen oxides, NO_x. Nitrogen forms a number of oxides such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Human activities, primarily industrial processes and burning of fossil fuels, release large amounts of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. They contribute to acidification, eutrophication and the formation of smog and ground level ozone.

Nonylphenoletoxylates. Complex hydrocarbons used in industrial cleaning and degreasing, paint manufacture and cutting fluids. May be harmful to aquatic life.

OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has 30 member countries that together produce two-thirds of the world’s goods and services. The organization offers governments a setting in which to discuss and develop economic and social policy.

Ozone, O₃. A form of oxygen with three oxygen atoms in its molecules. The upper atmosphere’s ozone layer protects life against harmful ultraviolet radiation, while ground level ozone is a pollutant that is harmful to plants and animals, and can cause breathing disorders.

Phthalates. Salts or esters of the aromatic hydrocarbon phthalic acid group. Used as softeners in plastics. Up to half the weight of PVC can consist of phthalates. It is suspected that phthalates diffusing into the environment might harm living creatures’ capacity for reproduction.

Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Biologically persistent organic compounds containing bromine. They are used as fire and flame retardants in plastics, for example in housings for electrical equipment. Their negative aspects are similar to those of PCBs.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). A group of biologically persistent organic compounds containing chlorine, PCBs are toxic to marine life. Formerly used in electrical transformers and capacitors for their insulating and fire-resistant properties, they are now being phased out and disposed of.

Polyurethane. A group of polymers used in products ranging from shoe soles to furniture upholstery, and from insulation foams to coatings, paints and adhesives. Some isocyanates used in the production of polyurethanes may cause allergic reactions and asthma. Polyurethanes are relatively stable compounds, but when broken down they emit aromatic amines, which can cause cancer.

Polyvinylchloride (PVC). A plastic with a wide range of applications, used in pipes, profiles, bottles, cable insulation etc. Its environmental impact has been the subject of intense debate. Heavy metals may be discharged from stabilizers used in PVC items; and when PVC is burned, dioxins (some of which are highly toxic and cause skin disorders, cancer and gene damage) may be released.

Primary energy. Energy that has not undergone transformation. Sources of primary energy that can be transformed into electricity and heat include crude oil, coal, natural gas and water used to generate hydroelectric power.

Recycling. Reintroduction of used materials or liquid residual products into manufacturing processes. A natural part of resource conservation. Today, most products are designed and manufactured with recycling in mind.

Renewable energy sources. Energy sources that replenish themselves naturally within a short period, making them continuously available. Sources of renewable energy include hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, ocean thermal energy, wave power, solar energy, wind power, and biomass.

Sulfur hexafluoride, SF₆. A gaseous insulator used in some electric circuit breakers, substation connections, transformers, and power cables. SF₆ is a potent greenhouse gas.

Sustainability, or sustainable development. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development combines economic growth and increased prosperity with preservation of the environment and quality of life for people around the world. Sustainability is often said to have three interdependent dimensions: ecological, social and economic sustainability. Sometimes a fourth dimension – cultural sustainability – is added.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Organic compounds that evaporate easily, contaminating closed surroundings and spreading in the open atmosphere. They are often directly or indirectly hazardous to the environment and to health. The largest releases of volatile organic compounds stem from combustion of fossil fuels. Other sources are solvents and paints. VOCs include toluene, xylene, styrene, naphthalene, and ethanol. VOCs that contain chlorine, such as trichloroethylene, are classified as chlorinated volatile organic compounds, VOC_Cl.