IKEA has committed to becoming a circular business by 2030, by eliminating waste and reusing resources. A year into the project, sustainability head Lena Pripp-Kovac tells Dezeen how they're getting on.
The Swedish furniture giant announced last year that it plans to make all its products according to circular principles by 2030, meaning that they can be reused, refurbished or recycled. It will use only renewable or recycled materials across its entire range.
Called People and Planet Positive, the strategy was launched in June 2018, with the first report following earlier this year. Lena Pripp-Kovac, who is head of sustainability at IKEA, is the person responsible for making the transformation happen.
"The aim is to remove waste," Pripp-Kovac told Dezeen in an exclusive interview. "It's a big journey but it's also quite exciting because it's possible." "People need to sleep, people need to eat and people need to play and provide for their families," she continued. "How do we do that without being wasteful""
Lena Pripp-Kovac, head of sustainability at IKEA, is tasked with implementing circular principles
One of the world's biggest companies, IKEA last year generated 38.8 billion euros in retail sales at 422 stores in more than 50 countries and online. It accounts for 0.1 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, if you include everything from sourcing materials to customers' use of products in their own homes.
The entire ra...