Helping the planet with sustainable choices
Buy a blue bag and avoid ordering Ikea’s meatballs
IT isn’t fair that beneficial choices like sustainable living aren’t always within reach. Global furnishings giant Ikea, which opened in the Philippines late last year after years of planning, has ways to help reduce the gap between high expenses and more conscious choices.
During a press conference earlier this month, Ikea showed off its sustainability campaign in its Circular Shop, one of its most eco-conscious projects to date. “This is where we give our furniture a second chance,” said Georg Platzer, Store Manager of IKEA Pasay City during the press conference. Returned items, floor samples, end of the range and discontinued items find their way to the Circular Shop, sold for sometimes half of their original prices.
In an interview with BusinessWorld, Mr. Platzer discussed how they make sure that the product is still up to speed. “We have a recovery department, and they’re responsible for quality in our store. They check every single screw to make sure that the quality and the durability are the same.”
Ikea presented furniture where pieces can be supplemented with modules as needed, instead of being completely replaced. For example, there’s the Pahl desk, an adjustable table that helps avoid the cost and hassle of buying a new desk as your child grows.
As for putting caps on consumption, pressure compensating aerators are standard across the whole Ikea range of taps and showers. This reduces the amount of water coming out by up to 50% but keeps the flow at the desired level. LED light bulbs are also standard across all Ikea products. Those use up to 85% less energy — this makes them planet friendly — and they last 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Bamboo is another sustainable raw material used in Ikea products. Its strength and stability provide possibilities for construction with thinner elements and boards, resulting in reduced use of material. This saves natural resources and increases savings during transport. This is a key element in how sustainably they run their stores. Mr. Platzer discussed using LED bulbs in the store, as well as using the water-saving taps. But then, a large part of their carbon emissions come from delivering the goods to customers. The fact that Ikea sells its furniture for assembly is a large element in its sustainability efforts. “Instead of getting two chairs on one pallet, you get maybe 10 chairs in one pallet,” said Mr. Platzer. “You can utilize your trucks, your containers for shipping, in a much, much better way.”
On the subject of reducing carbon footprints due to less carbon emissions from transporting goods to and from nearer places, buying local is often best. Mr. Platzer discussed the subject of getting suppliers from the Philippines. In a previous interview, he said that the store sources its plants and a lot of its food from local sources. On furnishing and its requisite materials, he said, “We’re still looking for a possible partnership. The challenge is that we need suppliers who can supply the entire world. “This is a huge scope, of course, and a massive volume of supply is needed,” he said. “As with any other country where we have started retailing, it’s just a matter of time when we will also have supply from the Philippines.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Platzer gave two tips to reduce your own carbon footprint when shopping at Ikea. First, “Buy a blue bag from Ikea, which you can reuse anytime you come back.” The second tip is ordering the plantbased balls from the restaurant, instead of the meatballs. “They’re producing only 9% of the CO2 emissions compared to the meatballs.” —