As of October 2008, IKEA will no longer offer plastic or paper bags. The
offering will only be reusable.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- It's a dialogue we hear
everyday. Can we? Do we? Will we really change our behavior to be
environmentally responsible? IKEA believed we could and would. With the
introduction of its leadership 'bag the plastic bag' program in March 2007,
IKEA set a goal of reducing its US stores' plastic bag consumption by 50%;
from 70 million to 35 million plastic bags in the first year. The call was to
go reusable with the iconic IKEA blue bag for $.59 or use an alternative
reusable bag. And IKEA also said if that was not an acceptable solution, IKEA
plastic bags could be purchased for five-cents, with all proceeds going to
American Forests (the nation's oldest non-profit citizens conservation
organization) to plant trees to restore forests and help reduce CO2 emissions.
Now it's one year since the program began and IKEA is overwhelmed with the
stunning results; more than 92% of their customers said no more plastic bags!
Expectations were exceeded and IKEA learned their customers welcome the
opportunity to find new ways to be environmentally responsible. This landmark
program has now resulted in IKEA taking another step forward; as of October 1,
2008, IKEA will no longer offer plastic bags, and paper bags are not available
in IKEA stores either. IKEA's consumer call-to-action is to use only reusable
bags.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. consumes over
380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps each year. Each year, Americans
throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags, and less than one
percent of them are recycled. Single-use bags made of high-density
polyethylene are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote
purchases, they will accumulate and persist on our planet for up to a thousand
years. Paper bags are also not the best alternative; stacking 10 pallets of
paper bags is equivalent to one pallet of plastic, thus increasing the CO2
footprint. And it takes 14 billion trees to produce 10 billion grocery bags.
"IKEA believes home is the most important place in the world. The success
of this program truly demonstrates that our customers care deeply about our
global home and that we can all work together to be sustainable and
environmentally responsible," said Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president, IKEA
North America. "IKEA applauds its customers for being bold and courageous.
Together, we have proven we can shift our behavior and make a notable
environmental difference!"
"American Forests and IKEA have developed a growing environmental
partnership based on Global ReLeaf tree planting over almost a decade. In that
time IKEA and its co-workers and store visitors have sponsored the planting of
over 725,000 trees in Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration projects throughout
the United States. In addition to CO2 sequestration, the environmental
benefits of these projects in terms of clean air, pure water and improved
wildlife habitat are substantial and measurable. The fact that IKEA has shown
outstanding leadership in reducing plastic bag usage while providing support
for Global ReLeaf environmental restoration just reinforces our pride in
working with such a forward thinking company," stated Deborah Gangloff,
executive director, American Forests.
Since the 'bag the plastic bag' program began in March 2007, IKEA has
donated more than $300,000 from their disposable plastic bag sales to American
Forests. And since 1998, IKEA has contributed over $728,000 for the planting
of trees in the US; this is enough trees to offset approximately 100,000 tons
of CO2 emissions over the next 40 years.
"The success of IKEA's 'bag the plastic bag' initiative reveals a growing
public focus on the environment and a striking consumer willingness to take
action on a personal level," observed Dan Esty, Director of the Center for
Business and the Environment at Yale University. Dan is also co-author of the
business best-seller "Green To Gold" (an IKEA advisor).
IKEA UK has also had significant success with its bag program and went
plastic bag free in June 2007, while IKEA Australia stopped sales of all their
plastic bags in December 2007. IKEA has also been at the forefront of a number
of other environmental and social initiatives. IKEA specialists work
diligently to promote healthy forestry practices. Wood used for IKEA products
comes from well managed forests and not from intact, natural or old-growth
forests. Other notable programs include: IWAY audits, a code of conduct for
partnership with suppliers around the world where suppliers are measured on
health, safety, social and environmental concerns. When developing products,
IKEA abides by the strictest requirements for chemicals and substances in the
world, regardless of where the products are sold.
About IKEA
IKEA places great value on life at home. A comforting spot where family
and friends gather, where children learn and grow. An IKEA home is not about
bricks and mortar. It's about beauty, joy and security. Since its 1943
founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings and accessories of good
design and functional living solutions at prices so low that the majority of
the people can afford them. Currently there are more than 270 IKEA stores in
36 countries, including 34 in the U.S., where IKEA plans to open three - five
stores a year. IKEA has been named to BusinessWeek's List of The Best Global
Brands (August 7, 2006) and for four consecutive years, Working Mother
magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." IKEA
was listed in March 2007, on Fast Company's Fast 50, for its environmentally
responsible products, as well as five consecutive years, Training magazine's
annual list of top companies that excel at human capital development.
Additionally, IKEA has been on FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list
for three straight years. IKEA recently received the Foreign Policy
Association Award for Global Corporate Social Responsibility. IKEA
incorporates environmentally friendly efforts into day-to-day business and
continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the
environment including UNICEF, Save the Children and American Forests. To visit
the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.IKEA-usa.com. To learn more about
IKEA environmental and social responsibility actions and programs, visit
http://www.ikeagroup.ikea.com/corporate/responsible/brochure.html.
About American Forests
AMERICAN FORESTS helps people improve the environment with trees and
forests. We are a world leader in tree planting for environmental restoration
and carbon sequestration. AMERICAN FORESTS helps people identify, recognize
and preserve their special trees, and our community- based initiatives help
people plan and implement local actions to restore and maintain healthy
ecosystems and communities. American Forests is on the World Wide Web at
www.americanforests.org.
- EPA stats: http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=4
- Plastic Bag thrown away: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1499
- Bags on the planet for 1,000 years
http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=4
SOURCE IKEA
Mona Astra Liss, IKEA Corporate PR, +1-610-834-0180 ext. 5852,
sslm@memo.ikea.com; Charly Rok, Lippe Taylor PR for IKEA, +1-212-598-4400 ext.
155, charly@lippetaylor.com
