How Ikea inspires Filipinos in making more sustainable choices

We wanted the Jetsons with flying cars and sky pads; unfortunately, we’re headed for the mad lands of Fury Road. But the future is still in our hands. We — the collective we — can still be the architects of our own destiny, the responsible stewards of this floating rock. (The dangers of waste are not just in the visible decay, but also in the unseen consequences.) Looking at it writ large, a global company’s pursuit of environmental sustainability should not merely be a nod to societal expectations, but a symphony of conscientious choices. Imagine a Leonard Bernstein gesturing with passion and precision, all the gears in place, the notes floating in the spheres, everyone in the team attuned to the same rhythm, that same drive.

Swedish home furnishing brand Ikea, according to Ikea Philippines store manager Daniel Rivero, has been doing its share for sustainability and green innovation and more is on its way. Everyone’s focused, everyone’s on board.

Ikea has been an advocate for sustainable living and continues to enable its customers by developing a wide range of sustainable home solutions and food items that are affordable to many Filipinos. Last year, Ikea sold 1,020,920 sustainable home furnishing items in the Philippines, ranging from energy-saving bulbs to furniture made of sustainably sourced materials. To date, 73 percent of home furnishing products at Ikea are either made of renewable or recycled materials.

Scenes from the Ikea sustainability tour

“The agenda of sustainability is quite wide,” Rivero points out. “(The focus is not only) on products, which is very important, but also on waste-handling and transportation. Our carpool is composed of electric cars that deliver our products within Metro Manila. Our mission is to go further, which requires planning and partners who are willing to support us.”

Iza Calzado moderates a roundtable discussion on Ikea’s progress in its sustainability journey.

With an innovative recycling and waste management system in place, Ikea Philippines has been able to recycle 61 percent of its paper and plastic waste in its store operations. On food operations, Ikea recorded a 70 percent reduction in the volume of food waste compared to previous year.

Ikano Retail, the IKEA franchisee in the Philippines, recently released an overview of its sustainability direction and a report card on its performance towards 2025 sustainability targets — ranging from sustainable product sales in their stores and gender balance in the workplaces to a full accounting of its carbon emissions. This report covered stories from the 2023 financial year, September 2022 to August 2023 and focused on the brand’s sustainability commitment on inspiring healthy and sustainable living, being more circular and climate positive, and creating a fair and inclusive culture.

Ikea Pasay City has a self-guided tour for customers to learn more about what the company is doing in terms of sustainability, as well as seminars for its employees. The brand’s inspiration and communications manager Jasmin Ferrero-Cruz explains, “Actually, we also have a Social Day Leave for our co-workers. That’s a one-day leave of their choice to do a sustainable action in the community.”

Another commitment by the brand is to have 50 percent of the main meals at the Swedish restaurant plant-based by 2025. Last year, Ikea closed at 33 percent with this goal, with the Huvudroll plant ball; a worthy plant-based alternative to its popular meat counterpart, as one of the offerings.

Rivero concludes how Ikea’s commitment to sustainability is reshaping the way we furnish our homes and, more importantly, how we envision a greener, more sustainable future. “Sixty-three percent of Filipinos are very concerned about sustainability. We are aware of the needs of our planet. And our vision here at Ikea Philippines is to deliver more.”

* * *

These are the areas where you can find sustainable items from Ikea: Ground Level – Sustainability Wall with Ikea sustainability commitments; Level 4 Showroom – Sustainability Room Set (kitchen & dining); Level 3 – Markethall (sustainable materials and solutions); Level 3 – As-is (giving furniture a second life); Level 3 – Sewing Studio (with sewing partner, R2R); and Level 3 – Swedish Food Market (sustainable food items).

For information, visit www.ikea.ph.