Spending a Saturday afternoon struggling with an Ikea flatpack coffee table has become a right of passage for millions of homeowners across the world. Launched in 1943, the Swedish business has grown to become the world’s biggest furniture company. In the last financial year, 655 million people flocked to its stores, of which it currently owns 298 in 26 countries.
Not content with becoming one of our most ubiquitous brands, the company has announced its intention to become one of the world’s most sustainable businesses as well.
A few months ago the company announced an ambitious new strategy, People and Planet Positive; effectively a global sustainability roadmap, it sets out how the company will conduct its future business using a wide range of targets concerning renewable energy, recycling, waste management and “green” product sourcing.
Ikea isn’t starting from ground zero – for years the company has been working through sustainable business models – yet this new strategy represents a huge scaling up of its ethical business practices. Its work around sustainable forestry is at the heart of the initiative.
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