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KONE 2015 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
STRATEgY AND MEgATRENDS
9
gROWINg INTEREST TOWARDS
gREEN BUILDINgS
The demand for energy efficient
solutions for moving people in and
between buildings is driven by
voluntary sustainability ratings and
national green building ratings.
These are becoming more common
and are of increasing importance to
our customers. Sustainable urban
building refers to building practices
that improve energy efficiency, use
sustainable materials and reduce a
building’s negative impacts on human
health and the environment.
INNOVATIONS FOR MODERNIZATION
Optimizing the urban environment
requires new approaches to
modernization and maintenance as
much as solutions for new buildings. As
our population matures, the buildings
we depend on also grow older. Cities
– namely buildings and transportation
hubs – need to be designed and built in
a way that enables all people, including
elderly persons, to move around easily.
Here, elevators and escalators play an
important role.
For example by modernizing an
elevator, the space inside the car can
increase by even up to 50%, making
it easier to access the elevator with a
wheelchair or a walker. Reduction of
energy consumption is another benefit.
Over time, a new elevator can save up to
70% of energy consumption.
Urbanization
The world’s cities are constantly growing.
They attract billions of people and by 2050,
more than two in every three people on
the planet will live in urban areas. Estimates
tell us that around 200,000 people move
into cities across the globe each and every
day, the same as 140 people every minute
(Source: UN World Population Prospects, the
2014 revision).
This makes urbanization the most important
megatrend within the global elevator and
escalator industry. It is expected to drive
demand for years to come. The concentration
of people in urban areas increases the
importance of moving them efficiently from
one point to another, and calls for sustainable
innovations.
Demographic change
The global demographic structure is changing.
Economic growth translates into higher
standards of living for a larger part of the world’s
population. The number of people classified as
middle-income earners is expected to grow to
nearly 5 billion by 2030 (Source: Pew Research
Center, Global Attitudes and Trends, 2015).
Middle income earners expect more spacious
and better equipped apartments, which drives
higher demand for elevators. At the same
time, an increasing value is being placed on
well-being.
The world’s population is also aging at an
unprecedented rate. The growing number
of older people raises the importance
of accessibility in buildings and urban
infrastructure.
Safety
Urban infrastructure is aging. In Europe alone,
equipment aged over 20 years is expected
to increase from 2.2 million units to 3.2
million units by 2020, representing 60% of
the equipment base (Source: European Lift
Association ELA). The well-functioning of the
equipment used daily by over one billion
people is becoming increasingly important for
authorities and equipment users around the
world. This makes safety one of the key drivers
for our industry.
Environment
Today’s cities take up about 2% of the world’s
land mass, but account for 75% of global
energy consumption and 80% of manmade
carbon emissions (Source: UN Habitat, New
Cities and Climate Change: Global Report
on Human Settlements 2011). Reducing the
impact urban areas make on the environment
is essential for a more sustainable future.
This is a challenge that has driven KONE to
develop numerous eco-innovations over the
past decades.