Thinking in circles

At IKEA, we always look for ways to make more from less. But to help our customers create a better life at home, in a world where resources are scarce, we have to up our game. We need to rethink everything from the materials we use, to how we power our stores, and how we can make our products live longer in a cycle of repair, reuse, and recycling.

Throughout our value chain, we aim to use renewable and recycled resources as efficiently as possible, to make sure that we create value rather than waste. And when you bring the products home, we want to help you make them live longer, or give them a new life when you no longer need them.

Doing things right from the start

To make the world a more sustainable place we have to begin somewhere. By planning for our products’ next life at the design stage, we get a head start. To make more from less, we also use materials that are renewable and recycled and from more sustainable sources. Our products must last as long as they are needed and be easy to care for, repair, reuse, reassemble, and recycle. The better we do this, the better for our customers and our planet.

A second, third or even fourth life. Maybe your new PLATSA storage will start its life as a media bench in the living room, to then transform into a wardrobe under the slanting ceiling of the bedroom ─ and then a few years later become the home to all outerwear in your new hallway. With PLATSA storage system, we wanted to create a simple, yet beautiful, solution that can follow you on all the winding roads of life.

Old materials, new surfaces. Call us cheap, but we don’t like throwing things away. We see waste for what it really is – a resource – and look for ways to use more recycled materials in our products. That’s why we created the REINSVOLL wardrobe door. It’s made of recycled wood covered with plastic foil made from recycled PET bottles. No new wood needed, and no new plastic made from oil. And although REINSVOLL is a sustainable choice, of course it doesn’t compromise on quality, design or price.

Being made from sugarcanes, the bioplastic in ISTAD is both renewable and recyclable.

Did you know?
Bioplastic is a material made from a renewable feedstock such as agricultural products and by-products. It can also be made from other renewable carbon sources, like biogas.
Changing to bioplastic is a move towards our goal to only use renewable or recycled plastic in our home furnishing products, and to contribute to a transformation of the plastic industry.

Towards zero waste

At IKEA Group we have decided to eliminate waste from all our operations and to be energy independent by 2020. This is no small feat, but together with suppliers, partners and customers we have the goal within reach.

IKEA of Sweden is also working through the whole supply chain with suppliers and partners to produce and distribute our products in the most efficient way. This includes minimizing waste in our value chain, and turning it into a resource by using it to make new products.

Did you know?
In 2017, 83% of waste is recycled or energy recovered across our operations.

The beauty of broken glass. The glass used to produce the IKEA PS 2017 vase has a story to tell. Having been rejected in its first life due to bubbles or other defects, the broken glass is re-melted and mouth blown by skilled craftsmen into mass-produced items. Yet the character of each piece of glass lives on, bringing unique mix of colours and patterns to each vase. By re-using the glass instead of discarding it as waste, we save on valuable and limited resources, while bringing extra character to your home.

Step on it. TÅNUM is hand-made, giving each rug its own individual beauty. And even better – we use recycled cotton from our own operations to make it. More than 90% of the material used is leftover fabric from bed linen production. When you step on a TÅNUM rug you leave a smaller environmental footprint.

Give things another chance

At IKEA we want our customers to love and care for our products as long as possible – and even if they don’t, we do. Across our network of stores we try smarter and more planet-friendly ways to prolong the life of our products. In Belgium for example, we offer our customers five options to give furniture a second life: selling old IKEA-furniture in the store, renewing it by repainting or reassembling, repairing by offering replacement parts, returning old furniture through our transport service and donating to social organisations.

On a global basis we offer all customers replacement parts, and most markets have mattress takeback initiatives where you can return your old mattress when buying a new one. Seize the opportunity to breathe new life into your old furniture or give it a new life in our care.