ABB sets out to establish global standard for robot energy efficiency to cut emissions

ABB Robotics has initiated a drive to produce a single, internationally recognised method for assessing the energy use and efficiency of industrial robots, a move the company says will make it easier for manufacturers to compare machines and lower operational emissions.

“With no global standard currently in place, it’s a challenge for customers to compare the energy consumption of different robots and choose the most energy efficient solution.” Gianluca Brotto, head of sustainability at ABB Robotics, made the remark while outlining the initiative. He added: “Unlike other products such as fridges, TVs, washing machines and motors, which have clearly defined standards for how to measure and compare energy efficiency, there is no standard for measuring the energy consumption of a robot. This initiative will empower customers to make informed decisions and help the industry reduce its carbon footprint.”

The move builds on industry-wide concerns about the growing energy footprint of automation. According to the International Federation of Robotics, more than four million industrial robots are in operation globally and deployment is broadening beyond traditional sectors. ABB’s own analyses indicate that electricity consumed during the operational phase accounts for over 70% of the lifetime carbon footprint of many customer robots, underscoring why standardised measurement is seen as a priority for industrial decarbonisation.

ABB says it worked with the Swedish Institute for Standards and convened experts from multiple robot makers and research bodies across 11 countries to develop a proposal. That work has produced an International Organization for Standardization technical specification that the company says is on track for completion by August 2026. According to ABB, a global specification will deliver transparency that helps buyers select the most energy‑efficient solution for specific applications and supports manufacturers seeking to benchmark and reduce emissions.

The proposal arrives alongside a broader set of ABB offerings aimed at improving energy performance. The company launched an Energy Efficiency Service in 2024 and promotes what it calls autonomous versatile robotics and an associated ecosystem of software and AI, including force‑ and power‑limited collaborative arms and autonomous mobile robots, as levers to raise operational resilience and lower energy intensity across sectors from automotive to logistics.

Industry observers caution, however, that standards alone will not deliver savings unless paired with deployment guidance and lifecycle thinking. Measurement protocols must reflect real‑world duty cycles, system integration losses and the energy impact of enabling infrastructure such as conveyors and end‑of‑arm tooling. According to equipment makers and academic researchers involved in standardisation efforts, ensuring repeatable test conditions and representative operational profiles will be critical to producing meaningful, comparable metrics.

The initiative comes at a time of organisational change for ABB’s robotics business. ABB announced an agreement to sell its Robotics division to SoftBank Group for an enterprise value of about $5.37 billion, with the transaction expected to close in mid‑to‑late 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, according to ABB’s statement and reporting by Bloomberg and Forbes. ABB has said the divestment is part of a strategic focus on electrification and automation and that proceeds will be allocated under its capital allocation principles.

For buyers and sustainability managers in manufacturing, the proposed ISO technical specification could provide a common language to evaluate robot energy performance and inform procurement, retrofit and operational decisions. Industry data and the standardisation effort together may help translate the theoretical environmental benefits of automation into verifiable reductions in energy use and carbon emissions.