|
IKEA & the environment "At IKEA, we shall always strive to minimise damaging effects to the environment, which may result as a consequence of our activities." - IKEA's Environmental Policy
IKEA always tries to do more with less. This goes hand in hand with our environmental work - to use natural resources in an economical and prudent way.
RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
One reason why IKEA's prices are so competitive is that we always try to minimize costs. To keep costs low, you have to be economical. We save on raw material, energy and other resources. As a result, we often also reduce waste and discharges.
At IKEA we develop the products ourselves, often in close co-operation with the supplier. This gives us the opportunity to take all aspects of a product's life into consideration, from the choice of raw material through production and distribution to end of use. Being economical when selecting raw material must be second nature to a product developer at IKEA. When possible, leftover material from one product is used in the making of another product. Even the materials we use for packaging are recyclable and contain a high content of recycled material.
In the IKEA store itself, we reduce the amount of waste by recycling the five most common waste materials: corrugated cardboard, wood, metal, polyethylene plastic and office paper. By doing this, almost 75% of the total waste amount can be recycled to new materials for energy.
FORESTRY
Wood is a part of the IKEA identity and is an excellent material from an environmental and quality point of view. It is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. However, for wood to be a responsible material choice, it must originate from well-managed forests.
Our long-term goal is to source all wood in the IKEA range from well-managed forests that have received recognised forest management certification. Currently, we demand that the solid wood in our products do not come from intact natural forests or forests with high conservation values.
BAN ON CHEMICALS WITH NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
It is important to us that the chemicals we use in our products do not cause health problems or damage to the environment.
In 1992, IKEA decided to ban ChloroFluoroCarbons (CFC), which in the past was used in the production of polyether for mattresses, cushions, chair pads, sofas etc. Reports from different researchers stating that CFCs cause the thinning of the ozone layer compelled us to look for other methods to produce polyether.
We have also phased out the use of PVC (PolyVinylChloride) as a precaution given some reports of its harmful effects. In our products today, there is PVC only in the isolating plastic of electric cables.
Another chemical ban is on azo-dyes, which we implemented in 1994. Often used to colour textiles, leather and natural fibres, these dyes can be carcinogenic to people who work with the dyeing process for a long time or cause skin problems to consumers. |
