This awareness is reflected in the People & Planet Positive sustainability strategy we have been implementing since 2012, adopted by IKEA long before the ESG indicators became popular. Our ambition is to achieve climate neutrality across IKEA’s value chain by 2030, including in Poland.
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W Ikei wiemy, że walka ze zmianą klimatu jest naszym obowiązkiem, a nasi klienci i pracownicy oczekują od nas konkretnych działań. Mamy świadomość wpływu, jaki wywieramy na otoczenie na poziomie lokalnym, krajowym i globalnym.
We are convinced that climate change is the biggest challenge facing companies, governments, and each of us today. Experts agree that next decade will be crucial for the climate, so we must act together and inspire others. This is also the approach that our customers expect from us, for whom accountability and business transparency matter.
At IKEA, we are responding to this challenge through, among other things, energy transition. Between 2011 and 2016, IKEA Retail invested nearly PLN 1 billion in renewable energy in Poland. We currently have 80 turbines at six wind farms with a total capacity of 180 megawatts. In 2021, they produced 394 gigawatts of energy, more than the company uses in its stores, warehouses and distribution centres.
In May this year, we announced the acquisition of a wind farm and solar park project in north-western Poland. Their total capacity will be 92 megawatts, and the deal is worth EUR 190 million. This is one of the largest investments of its kind in Europe.
There may be more such projects if administrative procedures and legislation are more favourable to wind or photovoltaic installations. Indeed, at IKEA, we are also investing in solar panels on the roofs of stores and distribution centres and transforming the last-mile delivery system to be zero-carbon by 2025. This was discussed at the Economic Forum in Karpacz.
The second important topic for us is the circular economy, i.e. offering our customers products that are made from renewable raw materials or can be recycled or reused, while being affordable. Examples include the Tanum rug made from leftover cotton from textile production or the Inner pillow made from 100% recycled polyester.
Such products and other manufactured in accordance with the principles of a circular economy account for approx. 33% of our sales in Poland. In 2030, it will be 100%.
Furthermore, in Poland, we offer the “Donate and Profit” service. Worldwide, more than 95,000 customers have used it in the last year. How does it work? If you have furniture in your home that you no longer need, you resell it at the IKEA store, and we sell it to the next customer. In this way, we extend the life cycle of our products so that everyday life can become more sustainable.
This approach is particularly important in the current economic climate – circularity is a win-win proposition for both business and our customers. IKEA proves that sustainable products are not a luxury, and our customers don’t have to settle the dilemma: the end of the planet or the end of the month? Such challenges were discussed during meetings and debates at the Economic Forum.
Marina Dubakina, President and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Retail in Poland
