Healthy and sustainable living

Our ambition for 2030 is to inspire and enable more than one billion people to live a better everyday life within the boundaries of the planet.

One way we aim to reach this is by developing our products using the IKEA circular product design principles and continuously improving our ways of working with sustainability in the IKEA Democratic Design approach. Democratic Design is a method we use to develop products that are more sustainable, beautiful, functional and high quality at the lowest price possible – good design that’s accessible to the many people. More than 9,500 products ranging from furniture to home furnishing accessories, have been assessed for their circular capabilities.

Designing for circularity

Two men and a woman from the designer and product development team are testing assembly constructions for wooden table legs.

We will design every product from the very beginning to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured and eventually recycled, by applying our circular product design principles during the product development process.

Designing for circularity and our future

Our commitments:

Inspiring and enabling people to live healthier, more sustainable lives

Today, people with thin wallets have the hardest time affording solutions for healthy and sustainable living. IKEA has a real possibility to change this. Our scale and reach enable efficient production and distribution, and the ability to influence healthier and more sustainable behaviours. Based on research and our knowledge about life at home, we are developing affordable, complete home furnishing solutions that can improve people’s everyday health, wellbeing and ability to live within the boundaries of the planet.

Read the insights from global study

Solutions for a healthy and sustainable home

A young man and woman cooking together in a tiny, white kitchen with glass, metal, stoneware and wooden accessories.

We will develop and promote affordable, complete home furnishing solutions with the primary function to improve people’s everyday health, well-being and ability to live within the boundaries of the planet.

The focus is on solutions related to:

Clean energy, air and water
Resource-efficient living and reducing waste
Healthy eating, sleeping and exercising

Innovation is key in our water saving solutions

Around 10% of global fresh water is consumed in people’s homes, and that number is expected to increase across the world. We are constantly working on developing more ways to save water. ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle can reduce water use by up to 95%.

IKEA introduces ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle to enable extreme water saving at home

A bathroom sink and a tap with a black, water-saving ÅBÄCKEN water nozzle.

A white STARKVIND table with air purifier and a vase with flowers on top in a combined living room and dining area.

Enabling people to have better air at home

Indoor air pollution is a significant health challenge in many parts of the world. We want to play our role both by addressing the root causes and by developing affordable solutions that help improve indoor air at home, like the STARKVIND air purifier.

STARKVIND – the first smart air purifier from IKEA

Inspiring healthier, more sustainable choices

Eating a plant-based diet is one of the most significant actions an individual can take to reduce their climate footprint. That is why we at IKEA focus on increasing the share of plant-based alternatives and on making plant-based alternatives nutritious and delicious, and presenting and communicating them in a way that inspires customers to choose these products. Our goal is that 50% of main meals offered in our restaurants will be plant-based by 2025.

Maria on changing our ways of looking at nutrition

A packet of HUVUDROLL plant balls standing upright on a choping board on a kitchen counter.

Promoting circular and sustainable consumption

To meet the needs and dreams of people today – without compromising those of future generations – we’re continuously improving our ways of working. We want to enable customers to prolong the life of their IKEA products through convenient solutions that inspire them to acquire, care for, and pass them on in circular ways.

Becoming circular affects everything we do

A young man dressed in work clothes is removing the fabric from a yellow armchair inside a colourful, modern workshop.

We are transforming into a circular business. This means:

Designing every product from the very beginning to be reused, refurbished, remanufactured and eventually recycled, by applying our circular product design principles during the product development process
Aiming to only use renewable or recycled materials, by adapting and finding new sources and developing new materials
Finding circular solutions for existing and new customers to acquire, care for and pass on products
Taking the lead and joining forces with others through advocacy, collaboration, and business partnerships

Our ambition is that all IKEA products will be designed with circular capabilities by FY30.

Establishing and developing the IKEA Core Circular Customer Offer

A man leans on the back of chair while talking to a seated IKEA colleague in the Circular Hub section of an IKEA store.

Over the years, we’ve conducted and reported on numerous circular customer service offers in various markets. In FY22, using insights from these experiences, we created the IKEA Core Circular Customer Offer. With this, we’re developing ways to make it possible for customers to extend the lifespans of their products and maintain the value of the materials in their products for longer.

Creating a movement in society around better everyday living

People around the world are becoming more concerned about their health, as well as the health of the planet. We’ll lead the movement towards a healthy and sustainable future, engaging co-workers, customers, partners and citizens while sharing knowledge and inspiration.

Phasing out and replacing products

To contribute to a more sustainable society, we have been phasing out and replacing products with new, innovative solutions for many years. Our ambition is to continue to be ahead of legislation to phase out products and materials that no longer align with our understanding of healthy and sustainable living. We are also working with other businesses to transform our industry, advocating for better policies, strategies and regulations.

A man with a beard and a bright green t-shirt drinks from a transparent IKEA 365+ water bottle next to a green wall.

All single-use plastic products have been removed from the IKEA home furnishing range globally since January, 2020.

It’s time to re-think (and recharge) batteries

A closeup of the inside of an IKEA LADDA battery charger with two light green batteries attached and two missing.

In October 2021, we began phasing out non-rechargeable alkaline batteries from our global range. The aim is to enable our customers to reduce waste and save money over time by switching to rechargeable batteries.

Two IKEA Restaurant co-workers with blue aprons and hats are looking at a screen while holding a plate with a sandwich.

Limiting food waste

In FY22 we achieved our goal of reducing food waste from IKEA restaurants globally by 50% by the end of 2022 compared to FY17 baseline.

IKEA saves one million meals through food waste initiative

Designing to help us remember the leftovers

Read more in our stories below

Lit LED light bulbs in different shapes and sizes hanging from the ceiling at different heights in front of a green curtain.

Healthy and sustainable living

24 September 2021

IKEA introduces next generation of LED to enable more efficient energy usage with more affordable prices

IKEA is committed to drastically reduce the climate footprint across the value chain – from material sourcing and production, to how the IKEA products are used at home. Enabling customers to improve their energy efficiency at home is a critical part. Having already converting all lighting to LED, IKEA is now taking the next step by introducing the next generation of LED light bulbs. The new SOLHETTA range is more affordable and on average 35% more energy-efficient, starting sales from October 2021*.

Innovation

Technology

19 July 2021

Recharging for a more sustainable future

A lot of customers tend to believe rechargeable batteries are complicated and expensive. So, we challenged ourselves to offer our customers a simple solution. IKEA has created a long-lasting rechargeable €1 battery that's ready to use. If that's not enough, these batteries also reduce waste as they don't need to be disposed of frequently, thereby keeping the planet clean. We sat down with Jimmie Eriksson and Gizem Harut to learn about IKEA focus on rechargeable batteries and how will these influence IKEA products in future.

Collaborations

Innovation

Healthy and sustainable living

08 October 2020

IKEA and Flow Loop to develop water recycling shower solutions together

IKEA and Flow Loop are partnering up to develop a water recycling shower solution to inspire and enable people to be more water efficient. The solution aims to save up to 80 per cent of water and reduce up to 70 per cent of energy used compared to average shower solutions by recycling and cleaning the shower water in a closed loop.

Food

Healthy and sustainable living

23 September 2021

IKEA launches Nutrition Profiling System to accelerate the transition to a healthier, more sustainable food offer

IKEA wants to contribute to transform the global food system to become more sustainable – in line with the objectives of the first UN Food Systems Summit that will take place this week. With the opportunity and responsibility to make healthy and sustainable eating delicious and affordable to the many people, IKEA is today launching a science-backed Food Nutrition Profiling System. This will enable a big movement in product development to accelerate the transition to a healthier and more sustainable food offer.

We want to make healthy and sustainable living affordable for everyone

Designing for circularity

Inspiring and enabling people to live healthier, more sustainable lives

Solutions for a healthy and sustainable home

Innovation is key in our water saving solutions

Enabling people to have better air at home

Inspiring healthier, more sustainable choices

Promoting circular and sustainable consumption

Becoming circular affects everything we do

Establishing and developing the IKEA Core Circular Customer Offer

Creating a movement in society around better everyday living

Phasing out and replacing products

It’s time to re-think (and recharge) batteries

Limiting food waste

Read more in our stories below

IKEA introduces next generation of LED to enable more efficient energy usage with more affordable prices

Recharging for a more sustainable future

IKEA and Flow Loop to develop water recycling shower solutions together

IKEA launches Nutrition Profiling System to accelerate the transition to a healthier, more sustainable food offer