Ikea has achieved a clean energy milestone this week, more than a year ahead of schedule. The furniture company will now produce more renewable energy from solar and wind farms than it consumes. The renewable energy comes from two large solar farms in the U.S. and a wind farm in Romania. Additionally, it also has more than 900,000 solar panels decorating its thousands of retail stores and more than 500 on-site wind turbines.
And the company is not stopping here. Ikea also plans to move toward being “carbon positive” by using electric vehicles for deliveries and rethinking its product design. It is analyzing which of its products have the heaviest carbon footprint and plans to use only recycled or renewable material in its furniture by 2030.
Ikea is an example of a company proving it is not only ethical but also economically rewarding to go green. Pia Heidenmark Cook, the chief sustainability officer for the Ikea Group says, “It’s profitable to work with wind and solar. It’s a good business case. So there is that part of it, and also, of course, it’s the right thing to do. We believe that the future is renewable.”
