Why the future of furniture is circular
IKEA is on an exciting and challenging journey – to become a circular business. But what does this mean to the IKEA business and the customers? We ask Mathias Nawroth, Head of Circular Development, Inter IKEA Group.
Why is it important for IKEA to become circular?
People are becoming more and more conscious of the impact that their choices have on the planet. They are seeking better value in what they buy. No one wants to be wasteful and simply throw things away when they no longer need them.
At IKEA, we always know that resources are limited. We must find smarter ways to use them and stretch ourselves even more to extend the life of products and materials, seeing them as raw materials for the future and eliminating waste at every level.
What does becoming circular mean for the IKEA business?
We want to make it easier for customers to acquire, care for and pass on products in circular ways, for instance repairing, reusing, reselling and recycling them. To do this, we need a systemic change which impacts every aspect of what we do: from how and where we meet customers, how and what products and services we develop, to how and what materials we source and how we develop the complete IKEA value chain.
At IKEA, we are committed to design all our products to have circular capabilities from the beginning according to the IKEA Circular Product Design Guide. We aim to use only renewable or recycled materials and to develop circular capabilities in our supply chain. But we cannot do this alone. To get there, we are building new partnerships and cooperation. By working with advocacy, collaboration and business partnerships, we accelerate our transformation into a circular business and support others with theirs.
“At IKEA, our ambition is to become circulate by 2030. We will design all our products to have circular capabilities from the beginning.”
Mattias Nawroth, Head of Circular Development, Inter IKEA Group.
Do you have any examples of collaborations?
We engage many stakeholders in conversations and advocacy for the circular economy. For example, as the result of a close collaboration with the IKEA business, Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) has published the Circular Economy Glossary. This common set of definitions and terms is essential to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
“A shared language will make complex topics like circular economy easier to understand. This is a common starting point for discussion, learning, and collaboration.”
Mattias Nawroth, Head of Circular Development, Inter IKEA Group.
How are circular IKEA products designed?
We work according to circular design principles, where products are designed to generate as little waste as possible from the very beginning. They are our way of ensuring that all products within the IKEA range fulfil our ambition to become fully circular.
We openly share our method of assessing the circular capability of a product with an easy-to-use interactive tool. It can be used by everyone – designers, companies, and anyone who wants to assess the furniture and home furnishing products they already have at home. All while getting to know more about circular product design and circularity in general.