Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
IKEA UK and Ireland has pledged to remove all single-use plastic straws from its product range and restaurants by October 1.
The commitment applies to all UK and Ireland stores, including the recently opened IKEA Exeter store, all future IKEA outlets and IKEA online.
The move is part of the home furnishing retailer’s global commitment to remove all single-use plastic products from its range and restaurants globally by 2020.
IKEA UK and Ireland country sustainability manager Hege Sæbjørnsen said: “The world is changing at a rapid rate and bold, urgent actions are required to meet the sustainability challenges we are facing. Plastic pollution is one critical issue to urgently address for a more sustainable future, and is something our customers and co-workers are actively passionate about.
“By responding and acting quickly to remove single-use plastic straws, we hope to fuel the energy behind this movement and empower people to see the hundreds of other small actions we can all take in our daily lives to have a positive impact on the precious world around us.”
To reduce the environmental impact of single-use plastic, IKEA is already offering products made from more sustainable materials. These include ISTAD re-sealable plastic bags made from bioplastic, KORKEN jars made from recycled glass, KUNGSBACKA kitchen fronts made from recycled PET bottles and wood, and TOMAT spray bottles and SKRUTT desk pads made from recycled plastic packaging. In addition, 98% of the packaging used for IKEA products is made from renewable, recyclable or recycled materials.
The latest decision follows IKEA’s People and Planet Positive sustainability strategy for 2030 which aims to: inspire and enable more than 1 billion people to live a better everyday life within the means of the planet; design all IKEA products to be 100% circular, generating as little waste as possible; make all IKEA products and packaging from renewable and recycled materials; offer services that make it easier for people to bring home, care for and pass on products; become climate positive and reduce the total IKEA climate footprint by an average of 70% per product; and achieve zero emission home deliveries by 2025.
