From energy efficiency to circularity: SKF brings industrial solutions to COP31

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As industries work to reduce emissions while remaining competitive, SKF is bringing a range of solutions to COP31 that can help customers use less energy, extend the life of industrial assets and make better use of resources. From energy-efficient magnetic bearings and condition monitoring to oil regeneration, remanufacturing and new approaches to circularity, SKF is demonstrating how technologies available today can help industry reduce its environmental impact while improving performance and resilience.

"With more than 20% of global energy lost overcoming friction, our role in the transition is clear. We already have solutions that improve energy efficiency, resilience, circularity and uptime. The opportunity now is to bring these solutions to more customers and scale their impact," says Susanne Larsson, CFO and CSO.

The growing demand for AI shows the scale of the energy-efficiency challenge. Data centres require significant energy not only for computing, but also for cooling. SKF magnetic bearings operate without physical contact, reducing friction and mechanical wear and enabling more energy-efficient and reliable cooling systems.

"Meeting the growing demand for AI requires innovation not only in computing, but also in the infrastructure that supports it. More efficient cooling can play an important role in reducing the energy footprint of data centres as demand continues to grow," says Frederic Ponson, Director, Magnetic Mechatronics.

SKF estimates that SKF magnetic bearing-equipped chillers commissioned in 2030 could help avoid 3.4 million tonnes of CO₂e emissions* over their lifetime, through lower electricity consumption and higher availability compared with traditional oil-lubricated bearing systems.

Beyond energy efficiency, SKF is also helping customers extend equipment life, reduce waste and make better use of materials. At COP31, SKF will highlight solutions such as SKF Insight bearings, which support condition monitoring and equipment reliability, RecondOil, which helps keep industrial oil in use for longer, remanufacturing services, which restores the useful life of bearings rather than replacing them with new ones, and SKF Infinium, which uses additive manufacturing to enable large bearings to be renewed rather than replaced.

Together, these solutions show how the transition to a lower-carbon industrial economy can go hand in hand with greater efficiency, reliability and competitiveness. Technology alone is not enough. Accelerating industrial decarbonization also requires collaboration across companies, sectors and value chains.

SKF is therefore joining the Energy Efficiency Movement, a global network focused on increasing awareness and adoption of energy-efficiency solutions across industry. The collaboration reflects SKF's broader approach at COP31 focused on combining technology, industrial knowledge and partnerships to help scale impact.

Learn more and see all events SKF is joining on SKF at COP31 | SKF

* Estimate based on scenarios from the International Energy Agency and SKF calculation based on the business projection:

• International Energy Agency "Stated Policies" scenario, page 105, IEA (2025), World Energy Outlook 2025, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025, Licence: CC BY 4.0 (report); CC BY NC SA 4.0 (Annex A)
• International Energy Agency "Lift-Off" scenario, IEA (2026), Key Questions on Energy and AI, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-product/key-questions-on-energy-and-ai, Licence: Terms of Use for Non-CC Material

Previous press release on similar topics:
7 October 2026: SKF to showcase new technologies for energy-efficient and reliable cooling at Chillventa 2026 [link to press release]

Aktiebolaget SKF
      (publ)

For further information, please contact:
Press Relations: Carl Bjernstam, +46 31-337 2517; +46 722 201 893; carl.bjernstam@skf.com 

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