Ikea has committed to becoming a circular business by 2030. A circular business model modifies the way products and materials flow through the economy, reducing the effects on the environment from production and creation to eventual disposal.
To Ikea, this means using only renewable and recycled materials, producing 100% circular products and enabling customers to obtain, care for, and pass on products in circular methods. Some approaches they have begun to take include using resources carefully, optimizing operations and creating from what they already have. This can involve using leftovers from other productions or recycled materials.
Around the world, the company is testing out new techniques. For instance, it is experimenting with leasing in the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. It also ran a campaign in Russia explaining and encouraging circularity. And on August 30, Ikea U.S. announced the launch of the Buy Back & Resell service.
IKEA Family members will be able to exchange their gently-used furniture for store credit. The secondhand Ikea pieces will be resold in the store’s as-is section. Only fully assembled and functional Ikea furniture will be eligible, and store associates will review each item based on condition, age and functionality. Ikea will not accept any recalled items.
“At IKEA, we are passionate about making sustainable living easy and affordable for the many, and want to be part of a future that’s better for both people and the planet,” Jennifer Keesson, Ikea U.S.’s country sustainability manager, said in a statement. “We hope the Buy Back & Resell service inspires our customers to live a more sustainable life at home while giving their used furniture another life and a second home.”
Don’t run out to your local Ikea just yet, though. The Buy Back & Resell service is being piloted in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, from August 30 to September 19, 2021. After that, however, the retailer plans to roll the service out to other locations with the ultimate goal of making it a permanent service at all U.S. Ikea stores.
You can find out more about Buy Back & Resell on Ikea’s website.
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