Ikea gives duvets and pillows a new life

Ikea is trialling a project to recycle down and feather fillings in Belgium. The initiative fits within the broader sustainability strategy of the home furnishing chain.

Discount voucher

Ikea wants to encourage customers to bring old or unused pillows and duvets filled with down or feathers to the retailer, so it can recycle the material. At the moment, these products all too often end up in household waste because there is no structural recycling system in place. Belgium is the first country to trial the programme. After six months, an evaluation will follow and the programme may be extended to other European countries.

Yesterday, Ikea Belgium started the down and feathers collection. To motivate customers to participate, they will receive a 15 % discount voucher per submitted product during the month of September, which they can redeem with their next purchase of textile products.

Fully circular

The collected materials will be thoroughly washed and disinfected following an initial sorting. Afterwards, they can be reused without any issues and enter the regular production process of the retail chain.

The trial project is part of the broader sustainability goals of Ikea, which aims to become a 100 % circular company by 2030. “To achieve this goal, we reduce our waste, offer services that help extend the lifespan of our products and invest as much as possible in circular products made from recycled or renewable materials”, sustainability manager Nathalie Van Edom says.