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Innovating with Purpose
| Sustainability at Wabtec |
| Innovating with Purpose |
| Responsible Operations |
| Empowering People & Communities |
| Governance and Ethics |
| Report Archive |
We are committed to developing responsible and sustainable products that improve our impact on the planet.
Wabtec’s products and services have delivered sustainable value throughout our over 155-year history, and we continue to identify new opportunities for improvement.
Industry & Customer Driven
Our sustainability strategy includes commitments to develop, advance, and promote the adoption of technologies and products to drive more sustainable rail transport, and innovation plays a significant role in meeting this commitment.
Wabtec has a long history of very close partnerships with our customers. We actively engage with customers and industry leaders through global events, conferences, and other engagement platforms not only to share our advancements, but to better understand the evolving needs of our customers. These partnerships help shape our innovation roadmap and ensure that we are developing and designing with our customers’ needs and real-world impact in mind.
Wabtec collaborates with and invests in partnerships that unite a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders who play a pivotal role in advancing the transformation of the rail industry. We track the global policy and regulatory environment to understand the impact, scope, timing, and applicability of evolving regulation to our industry. This also allows us to plan for additional R&D investment in the medium/long-term and/or changes in the mix of products. In addition, we engage in advocacy, working at the national, state, and local levels to advocate for transportation policies that support sustainability of the rail industry.
A detailed list of our industry association memberships can be found on the Wabtec Corporation website.
Providing Sustainable Pathways for Freight
Wabtec’s North America Class I customers have committed to science-based targets for their own GHG emissions. The mix of Wabtec products and technologies used by customers will vary depending on the railroad’s fleet mix, operations, routes, and energy needs. As customer needs vary, Wabtec is utilizing a flexible and growing portfolio of products and innovative technologies across both our large installed base and new assets to support customers’ sustainability goals. See our latest locomotive product offerings here.
4 Compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 emissions standards.
5 Smart HPT optimizes train performance for a given horsepower per ton (HPT) target. Positive Train Control (PTC) communication solutions offer improved reporting and data analytics capabilities.
Modernizations & Remanufacturing
Wabtec supports a circular economy with our long-standing modernization service, which helps lower material, processing, and disposal costs while minimizing our environmental footprint. Reuse is the most robust form of recycling, as it reduces landfill use, conserves natural resources, and prevents GHG emissions and pollution caused by reducing the need to harvest new raw materials.
By retrofitting existing fleets through Wabtec’s modernization program, our railroad customers benefit from a cost-effective way to progress toward their emissions goals and improve fuel efficiency without sacrificing reliability or performance . Wabtec-modernized locomotives can run on an array of biodiesel and renewable diesel options, as well as natural gas. Visit our Modernization Solutions webpage for the additional information.
Locomotive Modernization Solutions Deliver Up To:
improved fuel efficiency.
increase in reliability.
reduction in maintenance, repair, and overhaul expenses.
increase in haulage ability.
Providing Sustainable Pathways for Transit
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Wabtec’s transit solutions are critical to the success of the rail industry’s sustainable journey. Our transit customers (operators and car builders) have a strong interest in a comprehensive approach to sustainability. Our innovation and product development prioritizes energy efficiency, weight reduction, resource optimization across the product lifecycle, air quality improvements, safety enhancement, supply chain resilience, and the responsible sourcing and use of critical raw materials.
Operating across 15 separate product lines – including brakes, doors, air conditioning, couplers, and passenger information systems – our technologies and products help generate significant mass and energy savings for Wabtec’s transit customers, while pushing transit systems toward a more sustainable future. See our Transit product portfolio here.
Our strategy is reflected in the following accomplishments:
Our latest product portfolio offers:
- Up to 12% weight reduction.
- Up to 21% energy consumption reduction.
FreshAir® allows savings of up to 30% of HVAC energy consumption. Green Air refrigerant has up to 30,000x lower global warming potential.
Green Friction can reduce PM emissions by up to 90%. Our braking systems are designed to be 95% recyclable.