How much wood from China did IKEA use?

We require that suppliers use Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®) certified or recycled wood in our home furnishing products. All information presented here is valid for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) with a reporting period from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022 and, unless otherwise specified, applies to virgin wood used in IKEA home furnishing products (excluding paper). 

China is an important wood sourcing market for IKEA suppliers as there is a high demand for products made by China’s established furniture industry. With a significant supplier base, China has developed a strong and competitive furniture industry that, in part, uses locally sourced wood. The market continues to develop and promote responsible forest management.

Regions and types of forests

In FY22, virgin wood of Chinese origin used in IKEA products mainly came from actively managed FSC-certified plantation forests in the central and southern regions.

Wood species

In China, a mix of different wood species was sourced by sub-suppliers to mainly produce engineered composite wood-based material for IKEA home furnishing products. In FY22, the top species sourced from China for solid wood applications were poplar and eucalyptus.

Concerns

The risk for illegal logging is higher in China, so we must be extra vigilant. However, we have learned over the years that working with value-driven, honest, hard-working people, wherever they are based, is rewarding and impactful - especially when working together to drive change. Sometimes this means that we work in markets facing challenges, and we will continue to do so when we see that we can help improve forest management and support the rights and needs of people who depend on forests.

Wherever our suppliers source wood from, to minimise the risk of wood entering our supply chain that does not meet our own requirements, including legal requirements, we require our suppliers to only source FSC-certified wood-based materials. Our suppliers are also required to collect evidence across the supply chain to demonstrate compliance and our experts on the ground regularly perform IWAY forestry and wood supply chain audits.

Recent developments/actions

For several decades we have worked alongside different partners in China to improve forest management. One example is our partnership with WWF. Since 2002, the focus of our partnership has been on promoting FSC-certification in China, identifying high conservation values at provincial level and building capacity for responsible forest management in forest enterprises, academia and governmental agencies. Read more about our work with WWF in China.

Another example of our approach to being forest positive, helping to improve forest management beyond our supply chain, is our funding and participation in a 4-year project called Building a Roadmap for People Living in Harmony with Nature. In a densely populated part of northeast China, we are working together with others to develop a conservation-based forest management model which will help protect biodiversity alongside strongly considering the rights and needs of the local people.