KONE’s sustainability efforts focus on radically cutting carbon from our own operations and helping our customers to decarbonize.
The built environment accounts for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions. As cities expand and climate targets grow more ambitious, the demand for sustainable solutions is greater than ever. Reducing emissions requires a holistic approach that takes into account every stage of a building’s lifecycle – from construction and operation to modernization and end-of-life recycling.
At KONE, we see this as an opportunity to make a real difference. By improving the energy and material efficiency of our products, and embracing circularity for example through our modernization services, we help our customers reduce emissions at every stage of their building’s lifecycle – whether it’s a small residential structure, a skyscraper, or a major metro station. Our science-based climate targets guide our efforts, and we are committed to cutting emissions both from our own operations as well as from our products, which in turn also helps our customers to decarbonize.
The shift towards smarter, energy efficient cities is happening now, and together with our partners, we are living and breathing our purpose of shaping the future of cities.
We integrate sustainability into every aspect of our business by designing energy-efficient solutions, optimizing our products’ material use, and minimizing emissions in our own operations:
We have 23 elevator and 8 escalator models with the highest energy efficiency rating. Our world-class technologies, such as the regenerative drive and the KONE UltraRope® significantly reduce energy use. Regenerative technology recovers up to 40% of an elevator’s energy consumption, returning the energy to the building grid. KONE UltraRope® can cut the energy consumption of a 500-meter elevator ride by up to 15% when compared to conventional technology.
Modernization is a growing part of our business and sustainable by nature: we are able to prolong equipment lifetime and reduce energy consumption by up to 70%. Through partial modernization, we extend product lifecycles by reusing components, reducing waste, and cutting embodied carbon emissions by up to 78% compared to full replacements. *
*Calculations based on environmental product declaration (EPD), verified by third-party. A MonoSpace upgrade was used in this calculation.
Our products are known for their durability and our service business further prolongs the lifetime of products. We optimize material use, for example, through robotics and automation, product design, recycling waste wherever possible, and reusing packaging materials. Up to 90% of the materials in our solutions can be recovered. We work closely with our suppliers to increase the recycled content in our metals.
We are transitioning to a low-emission car fleet, improving energy efficiency in our facilities, and using renewable energy.
We ensure that old materials and components are properly recycled, with 90% of the metals used in our products being recoverable. Read about circularity at KONE
Our clear approach and concrete actions are already making a meaningful impact.
In 2024:
(Scope 1 & 2) KtCO₂e
(Scope 3) t CO₂e/order
Read about our environmental ambition and objectives.
Our carbon offsetting projects are Gold Standard® certified.
