IKEA takes a step forward in its journey to become a circular business by 2030, with the opening of its first world’s first second-hand store in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The store is located in the ReTuna Shopping Centre, where all products sold are reused or recycled.

The new store that will be open initially for 6 months, is run by the existing IKEA Västerås store that will provide furniture and home furnishing accessories that for different reasons have been damaged. At ReTuna they will be repaired and given a second chance in a new home.

The collaboration with ReTuna will help IKEA understand why some IKEA products are turned into waste, what condition they are in when thrown away, why do people choose to donate or recycle products, and if there’s an interest in buying the products that have been repaired.

The store is part of IKEA’s aim to develop a circular and profitable business model for the future. The second-hand store helps IKEA test this approach and inspire more people to live a more sustainable life within the boundaries of the planet, paving the way to transition from a linear to a circular business model.

IKEA Circular journey and commitments

Transforming into a circular business impacts every aspect of the IKEA business: from how and where we meet IKEA customers, how and what products and services we develop, to how we source materials and develop the IKEA supply chain. We are adapting our existing business model to enable the prolongation of product and material life, by enabling the four circular loops of reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling.

The IKEA ambition for 2030 is to become a circular business built on renewable energy and regenerative resources; decoupling material use from our growth. We have a clear approach: to make more from less, enabling the business to reduce waste and become more efficient in all we do. IKEA has an ambitious roadmap that includes different commitments:

• Develop circular capabilities in all our products by 2030.
• Aim for only renewable or recycled materials by 2030
• Develop scalable solutions for customers to acquire, care for, and pass on products in circular ways.
• Take the lead and join forces with others through advocacy, collaboration, and business partnerships

IKEA has been on the journey toward a circular economy for many years.  Some actions we have taken to prepare us for this shift include:

• We have developed circular product design principles to guide the development of every product we sell. All our products will be circular by 2030. We have assessed our existing product offer (10,000 articles) and now we are in the process of describing how we will reach this goal.
• We encourage the reuse of our products by offering spare parts and fittings through IKEA after sales.
• We have completed an assessment of all materials and developed material roadmaps to deliver to our 2030 goals.
• More than 10 years ago we started collecting packaging materials and used them as packaging materials again, and more recently using them to up-cycle into valuable products (for example SKRUTT desk protector and TOMAT spray bottle)
• We have removed all wooden pallets and replaced with paper pallets, enabling an increased volume of products in each shipment, with no need for return shipments of empty wooden pallets. The result is a reduction of CO2 emissions and approximately 50,000 less trucks on the roads in Europe alone.
• We are implementing the IKEA People & Planet Positive strategy, the IKEA sustainability roadmap for everyone in the IKEA franchise system and value chain.
• We actively work with others to advance the circularity movement, such as EFIC (European Furniture Industry Confederation), Euro Commerce, strategic partner to Ellen MacArthur Foundation)