A Green Recovery is the only way forward for the retail sector
IKEA recently joined with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as a group of 20 retailers to develop a ground-breaking decarbonisation plan for retail net zero, says Peter Jelkeby | Credit: IKEA
Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer
| IKEA
Enabling people to live a healthier, more sustainable life at home is one of IKEA's key ambitions, as we strive to make a positive impact on people and the planet; working to become a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030.
We welcome the £3bn investment announced by the Chancellor on 8th July, to make homes and buildings more energy efficient.
We’re also pleased to see sustainable goals form part of the postCovid-19 economic recovery, but for the UK to successfully reach net zero by 2050, further steps and more ambitious Green Recovery measures are needed.
We’ve faced an unprecedent crisis over the last few months, that has shaken society. However, we are also facing a climate crisis, with global warming no longer a distant threat, but a visible reality for many people across the world.
As coronavirus lockdown measures are lifted and some aspects of ‘normality’ return, we could go back to ‘business as usual’, or worse still, we could see states and industries ramping up regressive policies that generate even more CO2 and inflict greater damage on our environment and people.
This can simply not happen.
We need to act now to accelerate climate action and limit global warming to below 1.5°C. Focusing on the Green Recovery will lead to economic growth and the creation of jobs.
It will also have a positive impact on air quality, pollution and congestion, energy security, biodiversity, and reduce the risk of severe weather events like flooding, wildfires, and draughts.
Many of us felt the positive environmental and social impacts inadvertently created by the Covid-19 lockdown, including more connected communities, cleaner air, more wildlife and reduced dependency on fossil fuels. With the right measures in place, these things could form the foundations for a better and kinder future.
While reviving the UK economy, we have the opportunity to deliver both environmental and economic goals in a way that reduces existing and mitigates future inequalities.
Taking the Chancellor’s statement as a positive first step, we urge the Government to go further and set out detailed and ambitious plans for achieving the net zero 2050 target, including a more efficient and sustainable energy network, accelerating the move to renewable sources, putting in place the infrastructure and incentives to enable the faster roll-out of electric vehicles, as well as harmonised frameworks for managing waste and resources, to support moves towards full circularity, including re-use and recycling.
We believe that as a retailer, we are uniquely placed to support the UK’s journey to a low carbon future, particularly through the trusted relationship we have with our millions of customers in the UK.
That’s why IKEA recently joined with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as a group of 20 retailers to develop a ground-breaking decarbonisation plan for retail net zero.
The ongoing global pandemic has shown how fragile the world we live in can be. It has also reinforced the critical need to strengthen the resilience of our societies.
While reviving the UK economy, we have the opportunity to deliver both environmental and economic goals in a way that reduces existing and mitigates future inequalities.
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something, especially when we work together: we still have it in our own hands to change the direction of the climate crisis and use the recovery from Covid-19 to build back better and create the future we want to be part of.
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