by Rebecca Walker — January 23, 2009—KONE, a global leader in vertical transportation systems, has joined the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments, a select group of industry leaders who practice and are recognized for leadership in sustainability.
Founded in 2003, the mission of the Alliance is to transform the marketplace: to make green building best practices industry standards. To that end, it strives to raise awareness of sustainable development and promote the triple-bottom-line benefits delivered through high performance green buildings.
Members include Johnson Controls Inc., Philips Lighting, Kohler Co., Eaton Corp, Milliken & Company, Forbo Flooring, JohnsonDiversey Inc., Owens Corning, USG Corporation, and now KONE.
“We are excited to have KONE join the Alliance, bringing its expertise and commitment to sustainable urban development,” said Craig Zurawski, executive director of the Alliance.
“Elevators, escalators and automatic building doors play a critical role in the operation of any multi-level facility. KONE not only produces quality products that are efficient and safe, but its solutions also save energy, reduce emissions, and are designed with an eye on reducing waste.”
In addition to its commitment to producing products that contribute to a high performance green building, KONE was invited to join the Alliance because of its recognition of sustainability as a critical part of its business strategy, and its commitment to greening its own facilities and manufacturing processes.
About 95 percent of its elevator and escalator materials are made from easily recycled materials, reducing the strain on landfills. The company also is eliminating or significantly reducing oil usage, enabling longer lasting and more energy-efficient life-cycles.
To learn more about the Alliance, see its Web site.
