IKEA responds to Baroness Bennett on reducing substantially the use of single-use plastics
Hege Saebjornsen, Sustainability Manager
| IKEA
IKEA aim to transform into a truly circular business by 2030, but say in order to achieve this they need the Government to put the right infrastructure, incentives and targets in place.
Hege Sæbjørnsen, Country Sustainability Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland, said:
“At IKEA, we have the ambition to transform into a truly circular business by 2030 and demonstrate how other retailers and large businesses can learn from us.
By 2030, all IKEA products will be designed from the very beginning to be repurposed, repaired, reused, resold, and recycled, generating as little waste as possible – using the circular design principles. Last year, we already eradicated single-use plastics in our total product range, including straws. We know that moving to a circular economy is essential to fulfil our vision of inspiring and enabling more than 1 billion people to live a better everyday life within the limits of the planet.
As Baroness Bennett acknowledges, the problem of plastic waste pollution is complex, with no single solution. We believe it is a shared responsibility. However, for more companies to transition to a fully circular business model, we need help from the government to strengthen the direction by putting the right infrastructure, incentives and targets in place. This includes taking the lead in waste management, because the current fragmented landscape dependent on local authorities does not allow businesses to take any meaningful large-scale actions.
Whether it’s measures to ban or tax single use and non-recyclable plastics, the development of resource-efficient product standards, or real incentives to use recyclable materials, we expect 2020 to be a pivotal year for the implementation of a nation-wide resources and waste strategy.”
