IKEA Canada (part of Ingka Group) contributes to sustainable goals as the company transforms to be more people and planet positive
BURLINGTON, ON, Jan. 28, 2021 /CNW/ - In a challenging year, when life at home has been more important than ever before, Ingka Group has focused its efforts towards supporting communities and partners along the value chain, reaching those most in need during the pandemic. Despite the challenges, the company continues to progress on sustainability goals while delivering a robust performance, allowing for continued investments. The new Ingka Group Annual Summary & Sustainability Report reveals that for the first time, the company produced more renewable energy than it consumed in its operations.
"FY20 was a truly exceptional year, in so many ways. It has been incredible to see over 166,000 entrepreneurs come together, putting people at the heart of everything we do, as well as quickly adapt to meet the new needs of our customers. In a time when home has never been more important, we made IKEA more accessible by safely opening 26 new customer meeting points in cities like Helsinki, Seoul and Tokyo. And we accelerated our omnichannel transformation, allowing us to end the year with solid results, despite the fact that 75 per cent of our stores were closed for almost two months", said Jesper Brodin, CEO, Ingka Group.
Ingka Group is more determined than ever to be part of solving the climate crisis and recovering and shaping a new normal that's better for people and planet for generations to come. The company will accelerate efforts towards the IKEA ambition of becoming climate positive by 2030. This includes further investments of EUR 600 million during FY21, increasing overall investments into sustainability to EUR 3.8 billion.
"At Ingka Group, we stay committed to our sustainability ambitions and we are proud to say that for the first time we have generated more renewable energy than we consumed in our own operations, landing at 132 per cent globally, thanks to our investments in solar and wind technology", Karol Gobczyński, Climate & Energy Leader, Ingka Group.
"At IKEA Canada, we are proud to contribute to this global goal by producing more renewable energy than consumed in our total operations since 2015. Through our two wind farms in Alberta and solar panels on more than half of our stores across the country, we generate renewable energy equivalent to 4x our total consumption nationally," said Melissa Barbosa, Sustainability Manager, IKEA Canada. "Looking forward, we will continue to accelerate efforts in Canada to tackle unsustainable consumption and climate change and will launch initiatives to inspire Canadians to live a better everyday life within the boundaries of the planet."
Other Ingka Group sustainability highlights from the year include:
- More than 920,000 solar panels on the roofs of IKEA stores and warehouses. In Canada, IKEA has solar panels on more than half of its store locations, including Alberta, Ontario and Halifax stores.
- Globally, Ingka group owns 547 wind turbines and 2 solar farms in 14 countries. In Canada, this includes two wind farms in Alberta in Wintering Hills and Pincher Creek.
- Ingka Group inspired 97,400 customers and co-workers to reduce energy, water and waste through its 'Better Living' app.
- Globally, Ingka Group introduced the HUVUDROLL plant balls with only 4% of the carbon footprint of the iconic IKEA meatball. This much-anticipated menu item will launch in Canada this Spring.
- Ingka Group continues to explore how to be more circular - focusing on take back services and sustainability engagement with local communities. IKEA Canada continues to give furniture a second life through its Sell-Back program and most recently offered a sustainable alternative to Black Friday with take back services and community recycling drives.
During the year, Ingka Group stayed true to the IKEA vision and stood by the side of the many people. This included making EUR 26 million in emergency relief available to support communities impacted by the pandemic. For IKEA Canada, this included $2.3 million (CAD) in emergency relief, with product donations and financial aid to vulnerable communities including refugees, homeless, children and BIPOC communities, $350,000 in IKEA Food to local food banks and 240,000 N95 masks donated to healthcare facilities. Furthermore, the company has provided support to IKEA co-workers, by securing income stability, extending parental leave and offering flexible work arrangements.
Ingka Group and IKEA Canada remain committed to build back a future that is clean, green and more just and will continue working toward these goals.
"We started our fiscal year in September 2020 with strong ambitions for people and planet, and I am proud to say that despite the difficulties of this year, we came through more committed to our sustainability goals than ever. Additionally, our view on the power of togetherness is further strengthened; we need to drive the movement of building back better together", says Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ingka Group.
The Ingka Group Annual Summary & Sustainability Report (released January 28, 2021) is available here. The IKEA Canada Annual Summary Report (released November 19, 2020) is available here.
About Ingka Group
Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) is one of 12 different groups of companies that own and operate IKEA retail under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ingka Group has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Ingka Group is a strategic partner in the IKEA franchise system, operating 378 IKEA stores in 30 countries. These IKEA stores had 706 million visits during FY20 and 3.6 billion visits to www.IKEA.com. Ingka Group operates business under the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford it.
About IKEA Canada
Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 374 IKEA stores in 30 countries, including 14 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 31 million visitors to its stores and 117 million visitors to IKEA.ca. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca.
SOURCE IKEA Canada
IKEA Canada, Kristin Newbigging, [email protected]
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