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ASSA ABLOY

 

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions leads the development within door openings and products for access solutions and homes, businesses and institutions. Their offering includes doors, door and window hardware, mechanical and smart locks, access control and service.

 
 

A Global Leader in More Ways than One

ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions with products ranging from mechanical and digital locks to automatic entrances and even biometric security solutions. ASSA ABLOY truly has everything one could need when it comes to access, and nearly everyone has encountered one of their products either in their home or one of the many businesses we interact with daily. Not only is ASSA ABLOY a leading global manufacturer, but they are also a distinguished leader in corporate sustainability.

ASSA ABLOY doesn’t just aim to check boxes instead, they examine what has been done in the past, what works, and what comes next for their sustainability goals. With 3E Exchange’s help, their current focus is the product’s lifecycle - what happens when their products meet the end of their useful life. This is a critical piece of the lifecycle, yet an under-discussed part of the journey towards circularity. ASSA ABLOY remains one of the most collaborative and committed companies in the manufacturing space, tackling circularity head-on with 3E Exchange’s support. 

 

quote-bubble-3e We are leading this transformation to a ’circular economy’ where we maximize re-use of resources and minimize waste. To accomplish this, sustainable innovation is part of our innovation strategy. It states that all parts of ASSA ABLOY will actively develop sustainable products, and that we will be transparent to our customers by clearly declaring what impact our products have on the environment quote-bubble-3e-2

Amy Musanti, Sustainability Director

 
 
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Challenges of Circularity

With circularity being one of ASSA ABLOY’s central areas for growth 2022 and moving forward, the challenges to a circular economy in a world centered around constant growth have become clear. A circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping materials in use at their highest value and quality, and regenerating nature. An embrace of circularity means decoupling economic activity from resource consumption, which is an immense challenge for a manufacturing company that relies on raw materials. However, this also presents a unique opportunity for a manufacturer like ASSA ABLOY to make a sweeping impact by focusing on circular strategies.

One of the first challenges of circularity that become obvious from a supply chain perspective is the need for accurate and reliable product and material data of a product.  In reality, for most manufacturers, gathering data gets more challenging as they reach further down their supplier chain (i.e. Tier 2 & 3 suppliers). Taking the time to find this data down any given supply chain is demanding, also requiring a lot of trust-building among suppliers and their customers. The goal is to get full material disclosure (FMD) - a complete substance list down to 100 parts per million (ppm). This leads to another hurdle - the gaps found in supply chains. Often suppliers will have proprietary formulations, out-of-date information, disorganized and siloed data, and language barriers that are more difficult to address. Supply chains are global, tying manufacturers and suppliers to each other in many ways, adding an inherent complexity to getting the information we all need. Other elements, like data infrastructure, including the technology, machinery, personnel, and even monetary resources are required for global collaboration and data sharing.

Circularity at its core relies on accurate material data. As described above, this is often much more complex than what we might expect on the surface. This is why ASSA ABLOY finds circularity as one of the most important opportunities in sustainability and why a solution like 3E Exchange is necessary to support them along the way.

"Technology can be hurdle or an opportunity. 3E Exchange has demonstrated the opportunity we have to streamline relevant data about our products and processes. Our data can change just as swiftly as industry trends; using 3E Exchange keeps us current and collaborative"

- Amy Musanti, Sustainability Director, ASSA ABLOY

 

Same Technology, New Opportunity

ASSA ABLOY is a long-time customer of 3E Exchange, maintaining usage of the software for over five years. ASSA ABLOY was initially drawn to the platform for its supply chain capabilities and material health data via built-in hazard screening. As a global manufacturer with a wide range of product complexity, 3E Exchange can support and maintain large amounts of intricate bill of material (BOM) data in addition to supplier information, all while providing reliable data security and expert support. 3E Exchange was also the only platform that allowed ASSA ABLOY to streamline their HPD and Declare Label processes all in one place. All in all, 3E Exchange has remained ASSA ABLOY’s software of choice for their supply chain management and sustainability reporting for a handful of years. 

With circularity being one of ASSA ABLOY’s central areas for growth 2022 and moving forward, the challenges to a circular economy in a world centered around constant growth have become clear. A circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping materials in use at their highest value and quality, and regenerating nature. An embrace of circularity means decoupling economic activity from resource consumption, which is an immense challenge for a manufacturing company that relies on raw materials. However, this also presents a unique opportunity for a manufacturer like ASSA ABLOY to make a sweeping impact by focusing on circular strategies. 

 

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Opening the Door to Circularity

As circularity became ASSA ABLOY’s central concern, it quickly became apparent that paying particular attention to a product’s end-of-life was vital. As a manufacturer, it’s much easier to attain recycled material and create long-lasting products than it is to ensure your products re-enter the circular economy rather than a landfill at the end of their life. This particular step requires buy-in and participation from millions of individuals and, of course, well-communicated steps and instructions from the manufacturer. Communicating and educating consumers that end-of-life programs exist in the first place is a hurdle in itself. One way we have started to tackle this goal is by incorporating ASSA ABLOY’s takeback program into the 3E Exchange platform. 3E Exchangeteam, an integrated custom landing page has been designed to communicate end-of-life instructions to ASSA ABLOY customers. The landing page also provides an easy and accessible way for customers to contact the ASSA ABLOY team with inquiries. This solution is made possible by the high-quality BOM data that ASSA ABLOY stores and maintains in the 3E Exchange system.

Despite the successes and commitment shown by ASSA ABLOY’s team, it’s important to recognize the efforts put in to make such an outstanding impact. Completing a full assessment of a product’s lifecycle, proactively managing supply chain data, and partnering with 3E Exchange to facilitate easy sharing of end-of-life information requires a passionate team and corporate investment. Together ASSA ABLOY and 3E Exchange have paved the way for more companies to follow suit towards meaningful circularity progress.

 
 

quote-bubble-3e To assess how sustainable a product really is, we use our Sustainability Compass. This tool is used throughout the development of a product and includes three main areas: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The compass compares the environmental impact of different product designs from a life-cycle perspective.


Therefore we look at a product’s sustainability aspects throughout its lifespan, from design and manufacturing, to sales and service and final disposal. The Sustainability Compass is our primary tool to make sure that our product portfolio becomes more sustainable so that our customers can make the right decisions. This will ensure that we lead the sustainability transformation of our industry. quote-bubble-3e-2

Amy Musanti, Sustainability Director

 
 

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About ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions leads the development within door openings and products for access solutions and homes, businesses and institutions. Our offering includes doors, door and window hardware, mechanical and smart locks, access control and service.

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions is part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, the global leader in access solutions. The Group operates worldwide with 51,000 employees and sales of 9.4 billion euros, with leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. Every day, we help billions of people experience a more open world.

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