KONE Corporation, press release, September
28, 2020
KONE
Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator
industry, has set science-based targets for significant reductions
in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2030. KONE's
targets are the most ambitious in the industry and have been
validated against the latest climate science by the Science Based
Targets initiative (SBTi). In another first for the industry, KONE
has pledged to have carbon neutral operations by 2030.
KONE commits to a 50% cut in the emissions from its own operations
(scope 1 and 2 emissions) by 2030, compared to a 2018 baseline.
This target is in line with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, which
is currently the most ambitious criteria for setting science-based
targets. In addition, KONE targets a 40% reduction in the emissions
related to its products' materials and lifetime energy use (scope 3
emissions) over the same target period, relative to orders
received.
"Tackling climate change
is the most important challenge of our time. At KONE, we have a key
role in making urbanization more sustainable, and we believe that
sustainable business practices are a requirement for long-term
success. Together with our customers, partners and suppliers, we
are now taking even stronger action and leading the way in our
industry to create more sustainable urban environments," said
Henrik Ehrnrooth, President and CEO, KONE Corporation.
To reach the 50% GHG emissions reduction in its own operations by
2030, KONE will cut its absolute emissions related to its vehicle
fleet and facilities. To achieve this, KONE continues with a
variety of actions, such as restructuring its vehicle fleet
composition to incorporate more hybrid and electric vehicles as
well as optimizing vehicle routing for maintenance visits.
Additionally, KONE will increase the sourcing of renewable
electricity at its facilities worldwide to 100% in 2030. On top of
the ambitious emissions reduction targets, KONE will achieve carbon
neutral operations by 2030, through offsetting the remaining
emissions.
A clear majority of the
emissions associated with KONE's activities occur outside its
immediate operations in the value chain. To achieve its
product-related emissions reduction target of 40%, KONE will cut
the emissions from product lifetime energy use and materials by
further improving the energy efficiency and material circularity of
its products.
KONE is taking strong actions across the whole supply chain. The
company is working together with its suppliers to reduce the carbon
footprint from operations and manufacturing, to increase the use of
sustainable materials, and to limit the use of hazardous
substances. In addition to measuring these impacts, KONE carries
out stringent sustainability maturity assessments with its
suppliers.
Being a leader in sustainability has long been a strategic target
for KONE. Earlier this year, KONE received three outstanding
recognitions in climate and sustainability performance: a place on
CDP's prestigious A List for Climate Change as the only elevator
and escalator company, a position on the same organization's CDP
2019 Supplier Engagement Leaderboard, and 32nd place on Corporate
Knights' 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the
World.
For further information,
please contact:
Hanna Rutanen, Director, External
Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 41 507 1361,
media@kone.com
Hanna Uusitalo, Environmental
Director, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 50 533
3177
Notes to
editors:
The Science Based Targets initiative
identifies and promotes best practices for companies to set
ambitious and meaningful, science-based GHG reduction targets, and
independently assesses and approves these targets. Companies' GHG
emissions reduction targets are considered "science-based" if they
are in line with what the latest climate science says is necessary
to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement - to limit global warming
to well-below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. The
Science Based Targets is a joint initiative by CDP, the United
Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and
World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Around 1,000 companies have committed to
taking science-based action and over 450 have validated
targets.
Read
more:
Full list of companies participating in the Science
Based Targets initiative
KONE's Sustainability Report 2019
(PDF)
Sustainability on our website
Previous press releases are available at https://www.kone.com/en/news-and-insights/releases/
including:
February 4, 2020: KONE awarded as Supplier Engagement Leader by
CDP
January 22, 2020: KONE recognized for outstanding climate and
sustainability performance by both CDP and Corporate
Knights
January 23, 2019: KONE ranked among the world's most sustainable
companies by Corporate Knights
January 23, 2019: KONE recognized for solid climate performance with
a CDP 2018 A- score
About KONE
At KONE, our mission is to improve the flow of urban life. As a
global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE provides
elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as
solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to
buildings throughout their life cycle. Through more effective
People Flow®, we make people's journeys safe, convenient and
reliable, in taller, smarter buildings. In 2019, KONE had annual
sales of EUR 10 billion, and at the end of the year approximately
60,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq
Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com
KONE Science-based targets climate pledge press release
