Ali Hasan
Ikea is working on Sustainability
When it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), there’re many brands that fool us with their cheap tactics that they’re working to save the environment but then there’re some brands like Ikea who don’t fool us.
Ikea has become the talk of the town after they recently announced that they have bought 11,000 acres of forest land just to protect it from development. They have committed that they will keep the land and will never develop anything new to protect the biodiversity and natural habitat.
The forestland is located in southeastern Georgia. They announced on January 14 that it purchased 10,840 acres of land near the Altamaha River Basin. The land, acquired from non-profit conservation organization The Conservation Fund, is home to more than 350 plant and wildlife species.
The company has also planted close to 7 million seedlings in countries all over the world. Ikea now owns 613,000 acres of land in the US and Europe, which it has pledged to manage in an environmentally sustainable way.
“We are committed to managing our forests sustainably while at the same time meeting our business objectives,” Krister Mattsson, managing director Ingka Investments, said in a statement. “In all our properties, we pay special attention to ensuring environmental protection, so we are happy to see that our efforts in working with responsible forest management are being seen and trusted.”
Ikea is widely known for introducing the fast fashion model of production to the furniture sector. This approach has caused the brand to consume enormous amounts of raw materials, including lumber. The company has been criticized for fueling deforestation as part of its staggering environmental footprint.
In recent years, however, Ikea has vowed to investigate its supply chain and improve its practices. The company has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, phasing out single-use plastic, and halving its food waste.
Late last year, the company announced that it would invest more than $700 million through 2021 to lower its emissions and create a circular supply chain, which would mean the company reuses products that are recycled by customers. By 2030, the company wants to become “climate positive” meaning it will offset more greenhouse gas emissions than it’s responsible for each year through its management of forests.
The purchase of the acres in Georgia is part of that overarching goal. “We are honored to work with Ingka Group and applaud its dedication to preserve and enhance forest quality in the US and Europe,” Larry Selzer, president and CEO of the Conservation Fund, said in a press release. “Well-managed forests provide essential benefits, including clean water and important wildlife habitat, as well as mitigating climate change.”
Ikea has also decided to sell spare parts for its furniture in a bid to scale up its sustainability. The firm said it was looking at selling items such as sofa legs and covers and arm rests, in addition to the replacement nuts and bolts it currently offers for free. Its aim is to prolong the life of its products and dispel the idea that it makes disposable goods. Ikea said the plans were at an early stage and there was no launch date yet.
The company is testing various products, Lena Pripp-Kovac, chief sustainability officer at Inter Ikea, told the Financial Times. Despite trying to make its products last longer, the company said it expected the impact on new furniture sales to be “limited”, arguing that it would help make its products “more accessible”.
It’s the latest move by the firm aimed at trying to make sure its products are used for longer, rather than being discarded when people buy new items. Last year, Ikea entered the second-hand furniture market, buying back unwanted Billy bookcases, and certain other of its furniture items. In return for the products, it offers vouchers worth up to 50% of the original price, to be spent at its store.
The offer applies to furniture typically without upholstery, such as the famous Billy bookcases, chairs, stools, desks and dining tables. Ikea has said that any items which cannot be resold will be recycled. The firm – the world’s biggest furniture business – has said it aims to become “a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030”.
A “circular” business is one which reuses or recycles materials and products. The company also said that for last year it reached its target of more than 98% of wood coming from recycling or responsibly-managed forests. It wants at least a third of wood to be recycled from 2030.
Let’s hope that more and more brands follow the footsteps of Ikea and work on protecting natural habitat and biodiversity by having more sustainability in their business operations.
