IKEA to use only renewable and recycled materials by 2030
ALMHULT, Sweden: IKEA, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, plans to use only renewable and recycled materials in its products by 2030, in the latest commitment by a global store group to reducing its impact on the environment.
Inter IKEA, the owner of the brand best known for its lowcost flat-pack furniture, said on Thursday it aimed to reduce the climate impact of each of its products by more than two thirds by the end of next decade.
Currently, 60 per cent of the IKEA range is based on renewable materials, while nearly 10 per cent contain recycled materials, an Inter IKEA spokeswoman said.
“Through our size and reach we have the opportunity to inspire and enable more than one billion people to live better lives, within the limits of the planet,” Inter IKEA CEO Torbjorn said in a statement to accompany the company’s 2030 sustainability strategy document.
Inter IKEA CEO Torbjorn Loof and sustainability manager Lena Pripp- Kovac pose for a picture at an IKEA showroom in Almhult, Sweden June 7, 2018. REUTERS/Anna Ringstrom “We are committed to taking the lead, working together with everyone – from raw material suppliers all the way to our customers and partners.”
Inter IKEA joins a growing list of global companies striving to make their operations more environmentally sustainable, although there are question marks over whether enough are taking action and whether they should be doing more.
The world’s 250 biggest listed companies account for a third of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions, but few have concrete goals to limit rising temperatures, a Thomson Reuters Financial & Risk white paper concluded in October.
Raw materials account for most of IKEA’s greenhouse gas emissions and, along with extending the potential lifespan of its products, is where IKEA sees the biggest opportunities for reducing its impact on the environment.
Along with phasing out nonrecycled plastic, the company will implement changes ranging from greener glue in particleboard and more vegetarian food in its restaurants to a new candle recipe, Loof told Reuters.
Inter IKEA’s plan is the first to target all IKEA stores – the bulk of which are run by IKEA Group, but some of which are run by other franchisees – as well as the supply chain.
In total, there are 418 IKEA stores across 49 markets. Retail sales in the year through August 2017 were a combined 38.3 billion euros ($45.3 billion).
Inter IKEA set a so- called science- based target for IKEA Group to cut the climate impact of stores and other operations by 80 per cent in absolute terms by 2030 compared with 2016.