Industrial automation is increasingly being evaluated not only according to technical performance but also according to environmental impact. On September 2, 2026, ABB announced a new milestone in industrial sensor transparency by obtaining Type III Environmental Product Declaration certification for six industrial sensor products.

The announcement is significant because sensors sit at the foundation of modern industrial automation.

Pressure transmitters, flowmeters, positioners, and other measurement devices provide the real-time information required by PLCs, DCS systems, SCADA platforms, process historians, and advanced analytics applications.

As manufacturers increase their focus on sustainability, the environmental footprint of these field devices is becoming another factor in industrial equipment selection.

ABB's latest initiative provides customers with independently verified lifecycle information for six industrial measurement products.

What Is an Environmental Product Declaration?

An Environmental Product Declaration, commonly known as an EPD, provides standardized information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle.

Unlike a simple environmental statement made by a manufacturer, a Type III EPD is based on lifecycle assessment data and is independently verified.

This distinction is important.

Industrial customers increasingly need measurable information rather than broad sustainability claims.

A manufacturer may want to compare two instruments during procurement, evaluate the environmental impact of a project, or provide sustainability documentation for a larger industrial installation.

Reliable lifecycle data can make those evaluations more transparent.

Six Industrial Sensors Receive Type III EPD Certification

ABB's first industrial sensor EPD-certified products include six devices:

• PGS300 pressure transmitters
• PDS300 pressure transmitters
• AquaMaster flowmeter
• FSV450 Vortex flowmeter
• AWT420 universal four-wire transmitter
• TZIDC positioner

These products are used across industrial applications including chemical processing, oil and gas, water and wastewater, and other process industries.

The significance of the announcement goes beyond the individual products.

It reflects a broader shift toward including environmental information in industrial component procurement.

Why Sensors Matter to Industrial Automation

Sensors are often among the smallest physical components in a large industrial plant.

However, their role is fundamental.

A DCS cannot control pressure without pressure measurements.

A PLC cannot perform accurate process sequencing without reliable feedback.

A water treatment system cannot optimize flow without flow measurement.

A control valve positioner cannot accurately regulate valve movement without position information.

Sensors therefore form the information layer connecting the physical process to the digital control system.

As industrial facilities become more automated, the number of connected measurement devices can increase significantly.

A modern process plant may contain thousands of instruments.

Their individual environmental impact may appear small, but the cumulative footprint can become relevant when evaluating an entire facility.

Lifecycle Assessment Changes the Procurement Discussion

Traditional instrumentation procurement usually focuses on technical specifications.

Engineers compare:

• Measurement range
• Accuracy
• Process connection
• Communication protocol
• Temperature rating
• Pressure rating
• Hazardous-area certification
• SIL capability
• Materials
• Maintenance requirements
• Purchase price

Environmental data adds another category.

Customers can potentially consider the environmental impact associated with manufacturing, transportation, operation, and end-of-life treatment.

This does not replace technical requirements.

Instead, it provides another dimension for equipment selection.

For major infrastructure projects, that additional information can become particularly important.

Sustainability Is Moving Into the Instrument Layer

Sustainability programs traditionally focused heavily on major equipment.

Large motors, pumps, compressors, boilers, chillers, turbines, and electrical systems can consume substantial amounts of energy.

However, sustainability is increasingly being considered at the component level.

Instrumentation is part of this transition.

A pressure transmitter may not consume as much energy as a motor, but thousands of instruments across multiple plants can represent a substantial equipment population.

The lifecycle of those products also includes raw materials, electronics manufacturing, packaging, transportation, maintenance, replacement, and disposal.

Having standardized environmental information makes it easier for customers to evaluate those factors.

Industrial Sensors Support More Than Measurement

The importance of sensors is increasing as industrial automation becomes more intelligent.

Modern control systems are no longer limited to basic closed-loop control.

Plants are increasingly using predictive maintenance, advanced process control, energy optimization, digital twins, AI analytics, and asset performance management.

All these technologies depend on data.

Poor-quality measurement creates poor-quality decisions.

For example, an AI model cannot compensate for a pressure transmitter that is incorrectly calibrated or a flowmeter that provides unstable measurements.

This means measurement quality remains essential even as software becomes more advanced.

Data Quality and Sustainability Are Connected

There is another interesting relationship between instrumentation and sustainability.

Better measurement can help plants operate more efficiently.

Accurate flow measurement can support better pump operation.

Reliable pressure measurement can improve compressor control.

Temperature measurement can optimize heating and cooling systems.

Position feedback can improve valve control.

Therefore, sensors can contribute indirectly to energy efficiency by improving process control.

The environmental value of instrumentation is consequently not limited to the footprint of the physical sensor.

The data produced by the sensor can influence plant performance throughout its operating life.

The Role of Industrial Communication

Modern industrial sensors are increasingly connected through digital communication technologies.

Depending on the application, field devices may communicate using protocols such as HART, PROFIBUS, Foundation Fieldbus, Ethernet-based technologies, or other industrial communication architectures.

Digital connectivity allows more information to move between the field device and the control system.

This may include measurement values, diagnostics, configuration information, device status, and maintenance information.

For PLC and DCS engineers, this means that instrumentation is becoming increasingly integrated into the broader automation architecture.

The field device is no longer simply an analog signal source.

It can become an intelligent node within the control system.

Environmental Information Could Influence Future Automation Design

As sustainability reporting becomes more structured, environmental product information may increasingly influence engineering specifications.

An EPC contractor could potentially require EPD information when preparing a project equipment list.

A manufacturing company could include lifecycle environmental data in procurement standards.

A water utility could compare equipment based on both technical performance and lifecycle impact.

This could eventually create a new layer of standardization for industrial automation products.

The trend is similar to what happened with safety and cybersecurity.

Requirements that were once secondary eventually became standard engineering considerations.

Environmental information may follow a similar path.

Why Type III Certification Matters

The distinction between self-declared environmental claims and independently verified data is particularly important.

Industrial customers need confidence that information can be compared consistently.

Type III EPDs are designed around standardized lifecycle assessment methodologies and independent verification.

That makes the information more useful for procurement and sustainability reporting.

For automation equipment suppliers, this may also encourage greater transparency across the product lifecycle.

Manufacturers may increasingly need to understand not only how their products perform technically, but also how they are manufactured, transported, used, maintained, and eventually retired.

Potential Impact on Industrial Equipment Procurement

Industrial procurement teams are already balancing multiple requirements.

They need equipment that is reliable, available, compliant, maintainable, secure, and cost-effective.

Sustainability adds another consideration.

The challenge is to avoid treating sustainability as a separate administrative requirement.

Instead, it can become part of engineering decision-making.

For example, a project might compare two pressure transmitters with similar accuracy and process ratings.

If one product has independently verified lifecycle information, procurement teams have additional data to consider.

Over time, this could make environmental transparency a competitive factor among automation suppliers.

A New Dimension of E-E-A-T for Industrial Technology

For industrial technology companies, environmental transparency also has implications for technical credibility.

Industrial customers tend to value measurable specifications.

A statement such as "environmentally friendly" is difficult to evaluate without supporting data.

A standardized lifecycle declaration is more useful because it provides structured information that can be assessed.

This could encourage automation manufacturers to move away from broad sustainability marketing toward more measurable product-level reporting.

What Automation Engineers Should Watch

For engineers selecting industrial sensors, the immediate priority should remain technical suitability.

Measurement accuracy, process compatibility, hazardous-area requirements, communication, reliability, maintenance, and lifecycle support still determine whether a device can perform its intended function.

However, environmental product information is becoming increasingly relevant.

For large projects, engineers may eventually need to provide sustainability information for individual components as part of the overall project documentation.

That means environmental declarations could become another technical document alongside datasheets, certificates, manuals, and compliance documentation.