IKEA Group has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from customer and co-worker travel and customer deliveries by 50% by 2030 (compared to 2016 levels) – and the use of electric vehicles (EVs) will be key.
CEO Jesper Brodin announced the pledge as one of three new approved science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s global operations and value chain. He was speaking at the EU for Talanoa conference in Brussels, part of the Talanoa Dialogue – an international process to ensure the world stays on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
IKEA Group has also set two other science-based targets:
- Reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from IKEA Group stores and other operations by 80% in absolute terms, compared to 2016;
- Inter IKEA Group, the worldwide IKEA franchisor and responsible for the IKEA range and supply chain, commits to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the IKEA value chain2 by at least 15% in absolute terms by 2030, compared to 2016. This translates to a 70% reduced climate footprint on average per IKEA product.
“Taking action on climate change is not only the right thing to do for people and the planet, it’s necessary for our long-term success as a business,” said Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group.
She continued, “Setting science-based targets will challenge us to find new and better ways, as well as drive innovation and renewal in our business. We encourage other companies to join us in accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy which boosts investment, employment and innovation.”
With businesses owning over half of all registered vehicles on the road, it is crucial that companies lead the shift to electric vehicles. IKEA Group was one of the first companies to join The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, which aims to make electric transport ‘the new normal’ by 2030.
Over half of IKEA Group’s stores already have EV charging stations installed, and it plans to roll out this offering globally as part of its EV100 commitment, also working with service providers to transition its delivery fleets to EV. For example, over 50 EV trucks are already in operating in China, and 20 will be deployed in Los Angeles and New York this year.
Helping to ensure that electric vehicles are ultimately powered by renewable energy, IKEA Group is also a founding member of RE100, led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. The company is engaging its supply chain to increase uptake of renewable energy.
Mike Peirce, Corporate Partnerships Director, The Climate Group, welcomed the new targets. “Seizing multiple opportunities to slash emissions right along the value chain are strategic business decisions that speak volumes to consumers. Coupled with efforts to spur greater action from suppliers and peers, IKEA is demonstrating exactly the kind of leadership we need from major companies to accelerate the clean economy.”
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