Many companies are realizing that sustainability is no longer just a business buzzword—it's a necessary and desirable goal. Local governments and corporations are beginning to set timelines for instituting environmentally friendly practices. Among the giants of retail, IKEA is taking this quest seriously. The company has pledged to be a fully circular business by 2030, meaning all materials will be recycled, sustainable, or reusable. A new Buy Back initiative is a large step towards this goal. Customers will be encouraged to sell back their used IKEA furniture, which IKEA will then retail.
To participate in the Buy Back program, people will submit a form listing the IKEA items they wish to sell. Dressers, desks, and chairs are among the eligible items. Each piece will be graded, the value determined, and an offer given. Upon bringing the items to a store, vouchers will be given—50% of the original retail price for mint pieces, 40% for items in very good condition, and 30% for well-loved pieces. The secondhand items will retail in the As-Is section or at a new exclusively secondhand store in Sweden. The vouchers will also have no expiration date, so customers are encouraged to shop only when they need something.
IKEA is rolling out the Buy Back program on November 27 in the UK and Ireland, but the program may soon spread to stores around the globe. While IKEA's sustainable goals predate the pandemic, the global situation has hastened the urgency to find sustainable, circular solutions. “Being circular is a good business opportunity as well as a responsibility, and the climate crisis requires us all to radically rethink our consumption habits,” says the company's sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland, Hege Sæbjørnsen.
In the rush to counteract the current climate crisis, companies must step up and confront their carbon footprint, resource usage, and energy systems. In the meantime, consumers must ask all our favorite companies to help save the planet.
IKEA will begin a Buy Back initiative for people to sell their old furniture back the retailer. The program is part of the company's pledge to be a completely circular business by 2030.
By selling their furniture back to IKEA, people earn vouchers for future purchases.
IKEA hopes customers use their vouchers when they truly need something, and that both consumers and retailers reinvent “shopping” in a more sustainable fashion.
h/t: [Dezeen]
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