Ikea is Walking the Walk

Ikea is certainly walking the walk when it comes to reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From reducing food waste to sourcing sustainable and ethical materials, the household retail giant has launched an ambitious action plan that seems to be working. According to their 2016 sustainability report (needs a minute to load), they have invested €2.1 billion in solar and wind power since 2009. They are well on their way to achieving their goals of becoming entirely energy independent by 2020 and producing more renewable energy than their stores consume worldwide. Check out their stats on page 41 of the report.

As part of these aggressive efforts, Ikea Canada just announced their $120 million purchase of Wintering Hills Wind Farm in Drumheller, Alberta. With 55 wind turbines, they will generate enough wind energy to power 54 stores or nearly 26,000 households. This comes after acquiring a 20 turbine wind farm project in 2013. IKEA has certainly come a long way since this 1996 commercial, which urged consumers to wastefully “chuck out their chintz”. 

Screenshot of Ikea Group 2016 Sustainability Report.

 

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