Ikea wants “green recovery”after Covid-19 crisis

Ikea is ready for a “green recovery” after the Covid-19 crisis. The CEO of Ikea Belgium has written an open letter, calling for cooperation and “sustainability as a fully-fledged business model”. He demands that recovery plans take into account the climate crisis as well.

Two birds with one stone

“Today we have the unique opportunity to tackle two crises at once”, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer André Schmidtgall of Ikea Belgium said in the open letter: “When billions of euros are pumped into the economy, that money must be used for jobs and systems that lead to a recovery that will also benefit future generations. We need a green recovery.”

Both the coronavirus crisis and the climate crisis can be tackled at the same time, according to the CEO. He therefore calls on everyone to take responsibility, from companies over consumers to politicians. The latter should, according to the CEO, have more daring climate ambitions and make “the real polluter” pay. “Companies can also play a decisive role by integrating sustainability as a fully-fledged business model”, he adds.

600 million euros extra

Ikea claims to be ready for that green future: by 2025 the home furnishing chain wants to make all its home deliveries electric in Belgium and by 2030 the company must be climate-positive worldwide. In the coming year, the Swedish retailer will therefore invest an additional 600 million euros in innovative companies and clean solutions that contribute to a carbon-free economy.

Consumers are also inspired to shop more sustainably by a green label, that indicates the range of more sustainable products. Ikea’s cotton, for example, has been sourced from more sustainable sources since 2015 and later this year all of its wood must be 100% FSC certified or recycled – although the retailer has been criticised because of wood that is, allegedly, illegally being felled.