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Inter IKEA Group has made a minority investment in nyris, a Germany-based innovative deep-tech start-up company, which provides visual intelligence technology. IKEA customers can already today experience the nyris technology, in the IKEA Place app, providing intelligent, responsive information to the customer, based on its requests and commands. This is only the first in a range of upcoming solutions offering to support the customers in their IKEA experience. For example; to make product assembling responsive and easier, and the possibility to match home furnishing styles and specific products for the specific customer.“This investment will enable Inter IKEA Group and all IKEA franchisees to use visual intelligence capability to provide an up-to-date shopping experience for the IKEA customers across the world,” says Per Krokstäde, Innovation & Strategic Partnership Manager at Inter IKEA Systems. For IKEA, new smart digital solutions are key to be more accessible for its customers, in both existing and new markets, and in physical as well as digital customer meeting points.With the nyris collaboration,IKEA will add competence and state of the art know-how, creating digital home furnishing content and adding to a seamless customer journey across all meeting points. The intelligent technology of nyris will improve the home-furnishing shopping experience and visual discovery at IKEA. But it will also improve the internal processes and ways of working; IKEA warehouses can use the technology for more accurate and faster inventory management and the IKEA suppliers will be able to use the technology for a more efficient quality control process. “The technology will enable new solutions also for co-workers and partners, to support them in their daily work using the opportunities with the deep tech of visual intelligence throughout the integrated IKEA value chain,” says Per Krokstäde.Through this investment nyris will reach new markets and verticals faster, increased visibility and to continue developing their highly performant visual search platform to set a new bar of customer-centric AI products. “It makes us, at nyris, very happy and proud to now be an even closer part of IKEA and its ongoing journey towards improved digital customer experiences. Our contribution and goal at nyris are to make visual search and discovery a unique and engaging experience for everyone,” says Anna Lukasson, CEO and co-founder of nyris. 

Collaborating with one of the best in the world of scents, Ben Gorham at Byredo,IKEA explores Invisible Design – the idea that it’s not just what your home looks like that affects how it makes you feel.  The result is OSYNLIG, a collection of 13 scented candles which provoke memories and heighten the experience of being at home.Scents trigger strong memories, and have a powerful effect on people’s mood and emotions. The smell of cinnamon can make you feel the excitement of Christmas. The scent of pine trees and camp fires evokes the memory of a summer you will never forget. A whiff of just-washed laundry might bring you back to your parents’ home. According to the IKEA Life at Home report, people make a strong connection between how they perceive smell, and their feeling of home.This knowledge inspired IKEA’s collaboration with Ben Gorham, founder of luxury fragrance and fashion house Byredo. The company offers a range of exclusive scents for people and homes. Their scented candles and perfumes have been developed with an understated approach, using simple composition of the highest quality raw materials. Together with Ben Gorham, IKEA has explored how to make use of the power of scents to create invisible design and to improve life at home.OSYNLIG, Swedish for ‘invisible’, is a collection of 13 scented candles that are made to provoke a wide range of emotion – from nostalgia for the things you’ve done, to dreams of the things you might do – and, above all, heighten the experience of being at home.To really make the collection inclusive for the many people, the collection has a concept of 13 scents divided into three bases – floral, woody and fresh. With such a wide selection, there is a scent for everyone all over the world. One can fall in love with one of the scents from the collection or let them blend together. The collection will be launched in November 2020, for Asia Pacific markets it will be launched in February 2021.With this collection, IKEA wants to democratize scent and make it an affordable luxury at a low price. OSYNLIG brings high-end scent-making within the reach of the many people, and the concept of invisible design to a wider audience than ever. When the possibilities to adjust the three dimensional aspects of our homes are limited, the invisible design – the use of smell, sound and light – can offer new and unexpected solutions to the challenges we face in our lives at home today.“Smell is a very relevant part of the home, and it creates a sense of comfort and security. “We’re trying to develop a ton of smells enforcing the idea that everyone has a different relationship to it, and nothing is right or wrong”, Ben Gorham says. “Invisible design is that layer on top of functionality that completes the home, the intangible things like lighting, mood and atmosphere that enable you to have a really emotive, interesting environment,” says James Futcher, Creative Leader at IKEA for OSYNLIG. “It’s this idea that made me think differently about my own home and the opportunity we had in developing OSYNLIG – it was never about making scented candles as much as it was about encouraging the many people to tap into memories, other abstract things, as they construct their own homes”.

IKEA and Flow Loop are partnering up to develop a water recycling shower solution to inspire and enable people to be more water efficient. The solution aims to save up to 80 per cent of water and reduce up to 70 per cent of energy used compared to average shower solutions by recycling and cleaning the shower water in a closed loop.Approximately one tenth of the global fresh water is consumed in people’s home and the usage of water in the homes is expected to increase across the world. The biggest water consuming activity at home is in general showering (about 40%), however this may vary depending on where and how people live.* IKEA has committed to inspire and enable people to live healthier, more sustainable lives. The business collaboration with Flow Loop is one step on this journey.“We are exploring innovative solutions that inspire and enable reduced water consumption and reuse of water in the home,” said Tobias Svanberg, Development Leader Range & Product Innovation, IKEA of Sweden AB. “As a brand with presence around the world, IKEA has a big responsibility – and opportunity to lead and influence a movement for efficient and more sustainable water use and we are happy to work with innovative partners such as Flow Loop.”Flow Loop is a Danish company, and one of the ten finalists in the IKEA Bootcamp 2019**. The company has innovated a water recycling retrofit shower solution that fits to any shower space. Through recycling and cleaning the shower water in a closed loop, the solution can save up to 80% of water and reduce 70% of energy use while maximizing the shower experience without shortening the shower time.“At Flow Loop we are very proud to collaborate with IKEA, as we set out to make an impact for a more sustainable world. Flow Loop’s vision is to change the way we use water as a resource and to help secure sufficient clean water for tomorrow. We believe we can best achieve this by innovation that changes how we use water in our homes and supporting the integration of sustainable living into the mainstream market. We see IKEA as the best partner to accomplish this vision,” says Troels Grene, CEO, Flow Loop.Beyond developing innovative and affordable products to enable reduced usage of water at home, IKEA is working throughout the value chain to become more water efficient by improving water quality and increasing the availability of water where IKEA has influence.  * Source: World Resources Institute https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/02/growth-domestic-water-use** IKEA Bootcamp program 2019 was a three month semi-remote program, designed to accommodate the growth-stage startups, who are also manager their day-to-day business while co-creating with IKEA. Throughout the program, IKEA and the startups continuously explored whether or not to progress with the collaborations in the IKEA Bootcamp program.  About IKEAIKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.About Flow LoopFlow Loop is a Danish start-up founded in 2016 by Simon Kolff as a spin-off from his master project in sustainable product development. Flow Loop has 7 employees that all are committed to bringing the world’s first retrofittable water saving shower to market.

People have a strong desire to become healthier and more sustainable, but more affordable solutions are needed to help turn thoughts into action. This is one of the key findings in the GlobeScan survey released today. IKEA has a big opportunity and responsibility to lead the way by making healthy and sustainable living affordable, attractive and accessible for the many people.“These insights further confirm the importance of making sustainable products and services affordable and desirable. It shouldn’t be a luxury for the few. We will use our scale to inspire and enable the many people to live a better everyday life within the boundaries of the planet by 2030,” says Lena Pripp-Kovac, Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Group.The study surveyed 27,000 people’s attitudes, opinions, and behaviours linked to enabling healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. The number one action that people want companies to take to enable sustainable living is make more affordable products and services that are better for both the people and the environment (50%). Results from the study also show that nearly three-quarters (74%) of people want to reduce their impact on the environment and nature by a large amount. People want to choose products that last longer (77%) and avoid disposable goods (59%). A significant number of meat eaters would be willing to switch to plant-based alternatives (41%) if it tastes equally good, has the same price and nutritional value. The younger generations are more likely to want to make changes. (Click HERE to find the full report.) “We want to make healthy and sustainable choices the default option. This study shows that many people find it challenging to find good solutions. IKEA wants to play an important role by for example making circular services easy and affordable and by demonstrating that plant-based food can be really delicious – such as newly launched our plant balls.” says Lena Pripp-Kovac.Examples of IKEA solutions to inspire and enable sustainable living:The plant ball HUVUDROLL, a more sustainable alternative to the iconic IKEA meatball, has only 4% of the climate footprint of the meatball but the same taste and texture. The plant ball was introduced to the IKEA range globally August 2020.IKEA announced on September 30, 2020 that all non-rechargeable alkaline batteries will be removed from the global home furnishing range by October 2021. (Click HERE to read more)Designing products from the very beginning to be repaired, repurposed, reused and recycled – using the IKEA Circular Product Design Guide, aiming for all IKEA products and packing materials to be based on renewable or recycled materials by 2030Aiming for 100% recycled polyester in textile products by the end of 2020Offering/testing circular services that support people to:Acquire products (rent, share, buy second hand)Care for products (repair, upgrade, adapt)Pass on products (return, sell, donate and recycle), furniture leasing is testedIKEA will open the first second-hand store in Sweden this autumn (Click HERE to read more)