Most materials are sourced locally, like banana fibres, clay and jute close to where our social business partners are located. Cotton products are made from cotton from More Sustainable Sources*. This means that the cotton we use, compared to conventional farming, is grown with less water, chemical fertilisers and pesticides while increasing profit margins for the farmers. The material is sourced in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, and India, where our partnering social businesses are located.
VÅRDANDE is a result of the ambition to create job and economic opportunities for those who need them the most. By collaborating with local social businesses, which employ people who have difficulty finding a job in the labour market, everyday life can be improved for many people. And as a result of the collaboration, people are offered handcrafted products in IKEA’s stores worldwide.
“With VÅRDANDE, we want to offer the many people a chance to relax and find inner strength. It contains a range of products to help create small changes with significant impacts – both for themselves and those who made them. The collection is created in partnership with the social business Classical (Bangladesh), Ramesh Flowers, Doi Tung (Thailand) and Spun (India), and SAITEX (Vietnam) – five businesses committed to building long-term opportunities for marginalised groups and vulnerable areas”, says Lena Sörmon, Business Leader IKEA Social Entrepreneurship.
VÅRDANDE is designed by the IKEA designers Akanksha Deo and Sarah Fager. VÅRDANDE will be available in most IKEA markets in August 2022.
*From September 1, 2015, all cotton in IKEA products comes from more sustainable sources (CMSS). CMSS includes the following schemes: Better Cotton (as defined by BCI, including their equivalence in various geographies), cotton from farmers working towards the BCI standard (TBC) and e3. Read more about Our view on cotton.
About IKEA IKEA 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 the IKEA franchise system The IKEA retail business is operated through a franchise system with franchisees that are authorised to market and sell the IKEA product range within specified geographical territories. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor, who also assigns different IKEA companies to develop the product range, supply products and deliver communication solutions. Today, 12 different groups of companies have the right to own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V.
About Inter IKEA Group Inter IKEA Group includes Inter IKEA Systems B.V., IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG and IKEA Industry AB related businesses. Inter IKEA Holding B.V. is the holding company for the Inter IKEA Group.
