Concerned for the health of the environment, the Swedish retailer plans to have eliminated all single-use plastic products from its stores by the year 2020.
Having begun to invest in renewable energy since 2009, including wind turbines, solar energy and a plastic recycling plant in the Netherlands, IKEA continues to demonstrate their concern for the impact of consumerism on the planet
"People everywhere are searching for solutions for a healthier and more sustainable life."
IKEA
Working towards solutions in the supply of their products to shoppers,this latest announcement looks at products across IKEA’s stores and restaurants and will include replacing plastic straws, plates, cups, bags and plates with more environmentally safe alternatives.
A spokesperson told The Guardian, “We don’t have all the answers yet but we are working together with our suppliers to find solutions that are good for both people and the planet.”
This stems from IKEA’s People and Planet initiative, now running for a number of years and with a strategy that stretches to 2030, where the goals for IKEA include becoming a “circular” business that is “climate positive”, the use of only recycled plastic in all of the products produced and eliminating waste in the production chain.
With an incredibly powerful reach to consumers all over the world, IKEA leads the way in researching how people live in their homes now and how they can continue to do so in a healthy and sustainable way into the future.
“Through our size and reach we have the opportunity to inspire and enable more than 1 billion people to live better lives, within the limits of the planet”, said Torbjörn Lööf, the chief executive of the retailer’s parent Inter Ikea group, according to The Guardian.
The move has been welcomed by Greenpeace. “We now need to see other big retailers come up with ambitious plans to cut the amount of throwaway plastic on their shelves,” said UK oceans campaigner Elena Polisano. “With one truckload of plastic waste entering our seas every minute and spreading everywhere from the Arctic to the Antarctic and to the deepest point of the ocean, we need bold action – and fast.”
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