Circular economy

Rethink

Rethinking at the SMA Group begins as early as the product development phase. This is where the foundations are laid that influence the entire life cycle of a product. By thinking about sustainability practices, we can improve the sustainability performance of our products.

Refuse

We try to eliminate unsustainable materials as much as possible. For example, we carry out substitution analyses to substitute components that contain lead with lead-free components, thus reducing the amount of substances of very high concern in our products. In production, we are working on concepts to reduce the use of lead in our soldering processes.

Reduce

By using as little material as possible and ensuring a long service life for our products, we conserve resources and reduce our ecological footprint. Increasing the proportion of secondary materials in our products also contributes to reducing the consumption of raw materials. It reduces the need for primary raw materials and the associated negative environmental impacts. In 2024, the share of secondary steel, aluminum, copper and plastics in our products was 24%.

Repair

Defective SMA devices are repaired as far as possible by replacing components at the plant operator's site. If this is not possible, the devices will be shipped to our Global Repair Center for repair and exchanged for refurbished devices. The success rate of repairs carried out at the Global Repair Center was 96.5% in 2024.

Reuse

Components and assemblies that we can reuse are taken from decommissioned devices and reused for repair purposes. The approach, which is currently being further developed, enables us to ensure the reuse of used equipment and components.

Recycle

When products and materials cannot be repaired or reused, recycling is used. The rate of recyclable materials in our inverters was 82% in 2024.