IKEA is a common household name for all things furniture and even stuffed animals. Being such an enormous furniture retailer though, especially using forest resources as their raw materials raises some questions about the sustainable impact of the brand.
In 2020, IKEA decided to open up a pilot store in Stockholm to dive into retailing recycled furniture. The plan was to get used furniture donated by customers which would then be upcycled and sold below the piece’s initial asking price. This plan supplements IKEA’s circularity goal for 2023- only using renewable or recyclable materials for their products. In theory, IKEA was indeed trying to make a change at the systems level; where they look at reducing emissions and negative externalities with regard to their value-chain and production process. In addition to this step into the world of circular economies, IKEA also picked a mall specializing in recycling and reusing products to be the location for its brand-new store (Ringstrom, 2020). This admittedly is a smart decision by IKEA particularly because it communicates a building relationship with customers who are eco-conscious (for these customers seeing a big brand like IKEA in a mall focusing on recycling and reusing materials builds a positive association).
https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2020/11/04/the-worlds-first-secondhand-ikea-popup-store-opens-in-sweden?assetID=F8E6B9D2-9D94-402B-96F0-B5FB3692752F
However, there could be a catch to this plan. IKEA though affordable has always had a problem with quality. From my personal experience, IKEA furniture does not last as long when compared to its high-quality hardwood furniture counterparts. This obsolescence could be planned or unplanned, but the point remains that it is still pushing people to discard their old furniture to go buy new pieces. It would be difficult to convince some customers that the upcycled pieces are of good quality especially if it is being sold at a price lower than the initial one. Contrary to this argument, it can also be said that even if IKEA pieces have the same obsolescence as their products at least, the old furniture pieces will be recycled and resold rather than sent off to live in a landfill.
I think it is a good first step for IKEA to work towards their sustainability goals as it provides inspiration to other big brands to start thinking about innovative ways to try and implement sustainable practices in their production process. IKEA Second Hand Store is still open and functioning in the ReTuna Recycling Mall in Sweden.
References:
Ringstrom, A. (2020, October 29). IKEA opens pilot second-hand store in Sweden. Reuters. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-ikea-second-hand-idUSKBN27E3GO
Hi Annesha,
I definitely learnt something new reading your blog! I did not know about this second-hand IKEA store and feel it is an excellent first step toward sustainability. I also understand your concerns about consumer doubt around quality due to lower prices, but I think that this might actually increase accessibility for people of the lower-income bracket. I hope IKEA opens something like this in Vancouver (I would love to visit one!)
This is an informative piece about IKEA’s sustainability initiatives, and it highlights some fair worries regarding the company’s efforts to be more sustainable. It is admirable that IKEA is moving towards a circular economy by creating a secondhand store and upcycling donated furniture. But, as mentioned, the quality of IKEA’s furniture is sometimes inferior to that of higher-end brands, raising concerns about the durability of the repurposed pieces. Yet, it is a significant step towards minimizing waste and developing a favorable relationship with environmentally concerned clients. This project should inspire other large corporations to consider new approaches to implementing sustainable practices.
With a proclaimed message of creating a greener future, IKEA backs it up in their operations by creating a circular hub for furniture. I appreciate their use of their platform to draw attention to giving a second life to used furniture, but I also do recognize that this could very well be IKEA leveraging this as an opportunity to gain another revenue stream (as opposed to letting previous customers sell their used items on sites like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace). Similar to you and Sid, I also have concerns about the durability of repurposed pieces – much needs to be done to address the problem of designing for repeat consumerism. Thanks for the great read, Annesha!