IKEA Sets Science-Based GHG Emissions Targets

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Global furniture giant IKEA Group has announced new greenhouse gas emission reduction targets this week that have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative and will ensure the company’s goal of contributing to reaching the targets set out under the Paris Climate Agreement.

IKEA Group CEO Jesper Brodin announced earlier this week that the company has set three science-based targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative — a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The initiative is designed to champion and advise companies on setting environmental and emissions targets based on science.

The three targets for 2030 that have been approved for the IKEA Group by the Science Based Targets initiative are:

• Reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from IKEA Group stores and other operations by 80% in absolute terms, compared to 2016.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from IKEA Group customer and co-worker travel and customer deliveries by 50% in relative terms, compared to 2016.
• Inter IKEA Group, the worldwide IKEA franchisor and responsible for the IKEA range and supply chain, commits to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the IKEA value chain by at least 15% in absolute terms by 2030, compared to 2016. This translates to a 70% reduced climate footprint on average per IKEA product.

“Taking action on climate change is not only the right thing to do for people and the planet, it’s necessary for our long-term success as a business,” said Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group. “Setting science-based targets will challenge us to find new and better ways, as well as drive innovation and renewal in our business. We encourage other companies to join us in accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy which boosts investment, employment and innovation.”

“We congratulate IKEA Group on its bold new climate targets, which align its strategy with the goals of the Paris Agreement,” added Alexander Liedke, WWF Germany’s Sustainable Business & Markets Manager and member of the Science Based Targets initiative steering committee. “It is particularly encouraging to see IKEA addressing the emissions associated with the products it sells – as a company with a large global footprint, it has the ability to help drive down emissions in households around the world.”

“Seizing multiple opportunities to slash emissions right along the value chain are strategic business decisions that speak volumes to consumers,” Mike Peirce, Corporate Partnerships Director, The Climate Group, said. “Coupled with efforts to spur greater action from suppliers and peers, IKEA is demonstrating exactly the kind of leadership we need from major companies to accelerate the clean economy.”

The move continues IKEA’s strong commitment to environmentally-friendly business practices and clean energy growth. IKEA has been a long-standing proponent of LED and smart lighting, and launched its own new smart lighting system in March of 2017, but has also launched its own solar offerings, at the same time as the company doubled down on installing clean energy solutions at many of its locations around the world.

“All parts of society have a role to play in tackling climate change,” said Karol Gobczynski, the Climate & Energy Manager for IKEA Group, who I spoke to via email. “IKEA Group, has set science-based targets to ensure that we contribute to reaching the targets set under the Paris Agreement – contributing to limiting global temperature increase to well below 2°C, aiming towards 1.5°C, by the end of the century. By having our climate targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, we know that they are in line with science, and will support the ambition of the Paris Agreement.”

Further, Gobczynski explained to me that the new targets are “an important part of the overall IKEA ambition to become climate positive by 2030, while growing the IKEA business.” Specifically, and in an effort to also impact its supplay chain, “IKEA will reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than the value chain emits by drastically reducing the climate footprint of the products and operations in absolute terms, capturing and storing carbon within the value chain and working together with home furnishing suppliers across their entire factories (not just the manufacturing for IKEA). In addition, IKEA will enable customers to save and generate renewable energy at home.”