KONE recognized for outstanding climate and sustainability performance by both CDP and Corporate Knights

KONE Corporation, press release, January 22, 2020

KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has gained two outstanding recognitions in climate and sustainability performance. KONE has achieved a place on CDP's prestigious 'A List' for Climate Change as the only elevator and escalator company, demonstrating the company's actions to cut emissions, mitigate climate risks and develop a low-carbon economy. KONE is in the top 2% of the thousands of companies that disclose their environmental data through CDP. In addition, KONE has been recognized as one of the most sustainable companies in the world by Corporate Knights Inc., ranking 32nd in their 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking. KONE improved its position on the list by 11 compared to previous year, when it ranked 43rd.

"We are very happy and honored to have earned a position on CDP's Climate A List, recognizing our leadership through transparency. Taking environmental leadership is more important than ever, particularly when we are faced with the climate crisis. There is an urgent need to tackle this together with our customers and our whole value chain. I am proud to see that our work for low-carbon solutions and operations leads the way," said Hanna Uusitalo, environmental director at KONE.

KONE has disclosed through CDP for 11 years and has received a leadership score of A or A- for seven consecutive years. CDP is a global environmental impact non-profit organization that runs an environmental disclosure system that enables companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their environmental impacts. Their annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. Each year, a detailed and independent methodology is used by CDP to assess these companies, allocating a score of A to D- based on the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets. In 2019, over 8,400 companies disclosed environmental data through CDP, and the reporting companies represent more than 50% of global market capitalization.

KONE is committed to conducting its business in a sustainable way and expects the same commitment from its suppliers: taking responsibility for the environment and sustainability more broadly is a central part of the KONE Code of Conduct, signed by all KONE employees and suppliers. As a member of the UN Global Compact, KONE supports the Sustainable Development agenda addressing the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability.

KONE was the only elevator and escalator company to make the Corporate Knights' 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking. The company ranked second among its 234 global category peers in the "Machinery Manufacturing" Corporate Knights Industry Group.

Corporate Knights Inc. is a leading sustainable business magazine and ranking organization. The 2020 Global 100 ranking was formed by analyzing nearly 7,400 publicly-listed companies with revenues of over USD 1 billion. The performance of companies featured on the list is also compared against the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI), and according to the organization, the results indicate that sustainable corporate performance is consistent with equal or better returns for investors and greater corporate longevity. The Corporate Knights' 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking was announced in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum.

"Reducing the impact on the environment and curbing the climate change to well below two degrees Celsius are among our top priorities at KONE. We firmly believe that sustainable business practices are a requirement for long-term success. We want to help our customers develop their buildings to be smart and green, which in turn helps societies to prosper. The great scores on both lists demonstrate how we are actively leading the transition to more sustainable economy," said Mikko Korte, executive vice president, operations development at KONE.

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 

Read more: 
CDP 2019 full list of scores
Corporate Knights' 2020 Global 100 landing page
Corporate Knights' 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World results
Corporate Knights' 2020 Global 100 methodology (PDF)
KONE's Sustainability Report 2018 (PDF)
Sustainability on our website

Previous press releases are available at https://www.kone.com/en/news-and-insights/releases/ including: 
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 
October 12, 2018: Forbes recognizes KONE as one of the best employers in the world 
June 1, 2018: KONE listed as one of the world's most innovative companies by Forbes 

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 2018, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 9.1 billion, and at the end of the year over 57,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com