LONDON: IKEA will power its Polish offices and stores only with renewable energy by the end of the year. The announcement comes after the group acquired a wind farm in the country and committed to buy a further two, raising its total plants to six.
The move is part of the company’s broader commitment to shift toward renewable energy and become globally energy independent by the end of 2020. To date, the group has now committed to own and operate 314 wind turbines and has installed 700,000 solar panels on it buildings.
“Renewable energy drives businesses far from the fluctuation of the fossil-fuel economy,” remarked Emily Farnworth, Campaign Director of RE100. “IKEA’s business case clearly shows how switching to a low carbon economy is the right choice not only for the present, but also for the future. And the retailer’s sustainability strategy continually delivers, which is why IKEA is part of our RE100 program, composed of leading companies committed to go 100% renewable.”
Image: Steve Howard (on the left), Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group during the launch of RE100 at the Climate Week NYC last September
When all the new wind farms are completed toward the end of this year, IKEA’s wind park in Poland will produce an estimated 473 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year – equivalent to a reduction of almost 450,000 tons of CO2.
“Investing in renewable energy is good for business, the economy and the planet,” commented Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group. “That’s why we’ve committed to match 100% of our energy us with our own renewable energy generation by 2020 and have allocated €1.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) to take use closer to this goal. Every business can benefit from making the switch to clean, abundant energy and RE100 is a call to action to accelerate this transition.”
To date, renewable energy accounted for the equivalent of 42% of the company’s total consumption, and by the end of 2015 it aims to hit the 70% target. The 100% renewables by 2020 is clearly in sight, also thanks to the purchase of a 165-megawatt wind farm in Texas, US – the group’s largest investment in renewable energy to date – which will produce 130% of the energy IKEA US consumes.