Climate: Innovative solutions to cut carbon

Shift towards energy efficient cities

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. Together with our customers and suppliers, we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation to create new solutions to radically cut carbon.

Our progress

Our clear approach and concrete actions are already making a meaningful impact.

In 2025:

• Emissions from our own operations reduced by 30% and product-related emissions per product ordered reduced by 22.6%, compared to a 2018 baseline.
• Emissions from materials sourced decreased by 10% compared to 2024, as we systematically engaged with key suppliers covering 80% of our material-related emissions.
• Emissions from the lifetime energy use of our products reduced by 17%, compared to 2024. Our remarkable increase in the share of regenerative drives, from around 30% to almost 65%, in our elevators enabled the decrease.
• We reached a 99.6% share in renewable electricity in our own operations.
• We introduced Impact Revenue tracking, to understand the share of KONE’s total revenue generated from products, services, and operations that contribute to climate change mitigation. We aim to increase this figure continuously.
• We launched our KONE Renaissance program, a five-year research, development, and innovation initiative that aims to renew existing buildings by developing adaptable, digitalized and low-carbon solutions in collaboration with our ecosystem partners.