Within the next two years, Ikea will remove all single-use plastic from its product range and restaurants as part of its latest sustainability plan. The Swedish furniture retailer pledged to design all its products using “circular principles” with the aim of using only renewable and recycled materials.
Ikea, known for its ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories, is committed to achieving zero emissions on its home deliveries by 2025 and said it would expand its offering of home solar equipment to 29 countries.
In Ikea’s restaurants, more vegetarian options will be available soon, including a vegan hot dog. Vegetarian food options are more eco-friendly and consume less resources compared to beef and other meat products. Each pound of produced beef consumes an equivalent of 90 eight-minute showers (see below diagram). The water consumption for beef is so large because cattle themselves are physically large requiring huge quantities of forage and grains. It takes years to get cattle to market weight, thus the large water footprint (Grace Links).
To take Ikea’s sustainability actions even further, the company said it would reduce the total climate footprint of its products by an average of 70 percent per product.
The innovative company has been working on projects that will enable people to lessen their environmental impact including a nozzle that can save more than 90 percent of water used and textiles that will help purify the air we breathe. In urban environments where air quality is often poor, this innovation could help improve the health of many persons. Particularly those at highest risk for dementia and reduction in intelligence, as discussed in previous blog posts.
Ikea is aiming to be a truly visionary and circular company. To make this a reality, they will design all products from the beginning to be repurposed, repaired, reused, resold, and recycled.
[via Independent]
