IKEA's new shops aim to make sustainability more accessible – and always stylish

IKEA has just announced their 'Sustainable Living Shops' – a new section in their UK stores that enables customers to live a more sustainable life at home. The campaign is the latest solution from the Swedish label, which aims to become circular and climate positive by 2030. 

It also marks their partnership with COP26 – the United Nations Climate Change Conference – that began in Glasgow yesterday. 

Yes, while you may associate the interiors label with their staple furnishings and IKEA hacks, you will soon know it as your go-to destination for all things sustainable. Their shop-in-shop will sell affordable and convenient products that encourage a more ethical home whilst urging consumers to reduce their climate footprint. 

The shops focus on five key areas of action that will promote more sustainable living whilst simultaneously lowering household costs – as you use less energy, create less waste, and limit your single-use. 

'Our homes and the way we live have a big impact on the planet. We want to show our customers that sustainable living can be affordable and convenient,' explains Clare Rodgers, the Sustainability Retail Operations Manager at Ingka Group (who owns many of IKEA's stores globally). 

'This shop is an opportunity to influence and enable more people to live a sustainable life and offer tips in how to reduce their climate footprint,' she adds in the discussion of IKEA's modern decorating idea. 

The movement comes after IKEA discovered that despite 70% of Brits wanting to live more sustainably, more than half are reluctant to take action because of the conception that it is 'too expensive.' Participants also noted a lack of Government support (49%), not enough support from businesses (40%), and uncertainty on what to do in their homes (44%).

Therefore, the Sustainable Living Shops aim to challenge these ideas by creating a space where sustainability is accessible to all. 

'We know from our research that many IKEA customers want to live sustainably, but don't know how but they need support plus advice on what to do, and they want it to be affordable,' Clare says. 

'With millions of IKEA store visits each year, we have the opportunity to reach a huge audience. The new shop will offer customers products, solutions, services, tips, and advice that support easy changes in everyday life.'

Will IKEA's Sustainable Living Shops reshape your interior design ideas? We expect this campaign will be beneficial to your home – and the planet.